Cholesterol lowering foods

Most people with high cholesterol have been instructed by their physician to eat a healthier diet and cut out many foods from their diet that cause higher cholesterol. Foods that contain a high amount of saturated fats and trans-fats are very hazardous to our health. When we eat foods that are high in these types of fats the level of bad cholesterol goes up and this can lead to heart disease and stroke. For this reason it is important to find foods that are good for lowering cholesterol and eliminating the others.

Foods that are high in cholesterol that should be eliminated from the diet consist of butters, margarines, fatty meats, sauces that are heavy in cream, sour cream, ice cream, too many eggs, alcohol and foods high in sodium and sugars. When it comes to eating a healthy diet that contains cholesterol lowering foods, there are still many wonderful foods you can enjoy. Start by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. These foods are always good for you and they offer some of the healthiest vitamins and minerals you can provide your body. Fruits and vegetables are also high in antioxidants which are crucial for ridding your body of free radicals and toxins. Fruits can be high in sugar but they are natural sugars which are much healthier for you than any other sweet foods you can eat. When your in the mood for a sweet food, try eating fruit to satisfy your craving instead of reaching for a treat that is full of butters, oils, eggs and other fatty ingredients.

Other foods that are excellent for lowering cholesterol include complex carbohydrates. Foods such as whole grain pastas, brown rice, barley, oats, bread and potatoes are great at lowering your cholesterol. Just make sure you are not eating a lot of crackers, cookies and other processed foods that contain these ingredients because those are not the healthy versions of these foods and will contain lots of unhealthy fats. Eating a bowl of oatmeal or a multi-grain cereal for breakfast is a very good idea. This can help lesson high cholesterol significantly. Eat a lot foods containing fiber and you will be able to lower your cholesterol quite a bit. Fiber is an essential ingredient in fighting bad cholesterol.

When it comes to eating animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs you need to be extremely cautious. There are many animal products that are laden with high cholesterol causing fats. If you love eggs try using an egg substitute instead. When it comes to eating diary products choose low-fat diary products such as 1% milk or skim milk. Also use cheese, ice cream, yogurts and sour creams that are fat-free or low-fat. As for eating meat, try to avoid eating meat all together or stick to meats such as fish or baked chicken. Red meat and pork are much higher in fat as well as meats that are fried. By sticking to broiled, grilled or baked meats you will be less likely to consume as many animal fats. Try switching a few of your meats to other protein sources that are much better for you, such as beans, legumes, nuts or soy products. Just by eliminating meat from a few of your meals a week, you can drastically lower your cholesterol.

Other important factors to consider, when trying to lower your cholesterol include quitting smoking and exercising. Both of these make a big difference in your cholesterol levels. Losing weight is very important and exercising and watching your diet can help you accomplish this. For other tips on lowering your cholesterol speak to your physician. He or she will be able to give you the proper nutritional guidelines to follow.

[quote|tags=Cholest-Natural]

Last updated on Sep 5th, 2009 and filed under Healthy Eating. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 Response for “Cholesterol lowering foods”

  1. Lynn D. says:

    What about (cancer causing) genetically modified fruits and veggies? That’s about all the average Joe can obtain nowadays. Your article implies that all these natural organic things are readily available to the public and that is NOT the case! That wouldn’t keep Big Pharma and ObamaCare in business, nor would help them with their population reduction agenda.

Comments are closed