Foods for a Lower Cholesterol Diet

Jul 19
08:10

2011

Jim Haynes

Jim Haynes

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Your food choices drastically affect your health. Too many cholesterol-rich foods can make you develop high cholesterol-related illnesses or health problems. There are many serious long term health problems which are caused by too high a level of cholesterol and these include heart attacks.

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The food that you will eat can greatly affect your health. Too much cholesterol-rich foods can make you develop high cholesterol-related illnesses or health problems. There are many serious health problems caused by too high a level of cholesterol and these include heart attacks. A diet that is too high in cholesterol should be evaluated and changed. However,Foods for a Lower Cholesterol Diet Articles you do not have to totally get rid of all the foods that have cholesterol. What you need to do is to know the foods that can give you bad and good cholesterol and eat the ones that will provide the good type of cholesterol known as high density lipoprotein. Below are some of the foods that can assist in providing a person with a lower cholesterol diet.

To reduce your bad cholesterol level, you need to eat foods that are low in calorie and fat content. The first in the list is always fruits and vegetables. They are rich in fiber, nutrients and vitamins. They are good for your overall health and it will not increase the level of your cholesterol.

Whole grains, breads and oat products are also good foods for a lower cholesterol diet. They are a better choice than foods made from white flour that is rich in carbohydrates. Continuing a diet that has too high a carbohydrate content will not only increase your cholesterol but also your sugar level. 

Cholesterol is greatly associated with fats. Foods for lower cholesterol diets are the ones with unsaturated fats (mono or poly unsaturated fats). You should try to get rid of foods with saturated fats or you will have to deal with high cholesterol and heart disease in the future.

Oils cannot also be fully avoided so you should be aware of the good and bad ones. For instance, cooking oils like olive and canola oils are ideal for cooking foods for lower cholesterol diet. Vegetable oils are definitely good for a low cholesterol diet. However, you should watch out for partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. They would not do anything to your health but increase your bad cholesterol level. In addition, if you want to maintain a low cholesterol diet, you should moderate your intake of deep fried foods regardless of the kind of oil used.

Meats are a great source of cholesterol; but they could not be forced to be eliminated from your diet. There are certain kinds of meat that can minimize your cholesterol intake. When shopping for meats, make sure that you choose lean meat. Red meats or fatty meats should be avoided or be taken in minimal amount. Meats from turkeys and chickens are also a great choice for foods for lower cholesterol. However, it is advisable to stay away from the skin part especially on chickens for the cholesterol level on this part is very high.

When it comes to dairy products, you should prefer skim milk over fatty milks. Egg whites are good for a lower cholesterol diet but egg yolks are extremely rich in bad cholesterol.