At first blush, looking for a diet for high cholesterol is easy, right? If you've been searching for a 'nano-instant' you've heard the refrain - Eat a low-fat diet!
However, recent research has proven this statement to be out of date. It seems it's not the amount of fat you eat it's the type of fat that's important. In fact, in a recent eight year study done with 49,000 women, eating a low-fat diet did little or nothing to prevent heart disease, breast cancer, or colon cancer.
What mattered was the type of fat on the diet. It turns out it was saturated and Trans fats, that increased the risk for certain diseases, while good fats, (read monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) lower the risk. The key it seems is to substitute good fats for bad fats.
Cholesterol has been one of the most vilified and misconstrued elements of this century. Cholesterol is naturally present all through the body, including your brain, your nervous system, muscles, your skin, liver, intestines, and of course your heart.
Cholesterol is needed for the production of certain hormones including testosterone and estrogen, and is essential to the synthesis of vitamin D which is necessary for healthy bones as well as being utilized to repair the membranes around our cells. Cholesterol is very important for our wellbeing.
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance which is transported around the body in the blood attached to lipoproteins. But what is not commonly known is that the average person makes about 75% of blood cholesterol in his or her own liver, while only about 25% is absorbed from food. The biggest influence on your cholesterol levels (HDL and LDL) is the mix of fats in the diet.
Saturated fats raise total cholesterol levels and tend to boost both good HDL and bad LDL cholesterol. Trans fats however, tend to raise bad LDL and lower good HDL. But some fats are good because they can improve cholesterol levels. For instance, Omega-3 fats actually help to improve blood fats like cholesterol.
If you're worried about the type of the fat in foods you eat, you are wise to do so. Diet changes are usually the first step in lowering cholesterol before medicines are added. You can expect to lower your cholesterol numbers by as much as 20% with diet improvement.
There are several other things you can do to improve your cholesterol numbers. Quitting cigarettes and other forms of tobacco help to increase HDL levels (good cholesterol), and depress LDL levels (bad cholesterol). Increasing vitamin C intake (ascorbic acid) will also encourage the body to produce less cholesterol, particularly LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). And last but not least (you knew it was coming) exercise will also help lower your overall cholesterol level.
So if you're looking for a diet for high cholesterol, there are several which will help you improve the type of fats you're taking in and lowering your cholesterol.
Diet For High Cholesterol
Are you battling what diets to consider for high cholesterol? There are many diets that can help you lower your cholesterol level along with a regular exercise regimen. Before engaging an exercise routine consult with your physician. Make sure your routine will be of benefit to your health and not hazardous.
There are many fats that contribute to your high cholesterol. Avoiding these fats at all costs will help lower your cholesterol and risk for heart diseases. Here are some foods you want to try to avoid or at least limit your servings:
* Milk products containing more than one percent milk fat ? cream, some cheeses
* Fast food ? anything fried ? opt for baked or broiled foods instead of fried.
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These are only ?some? of the foods you want to avoid or limit. Along with these you want to watch your servings of breads, cakes, whole eggs, whole milk, whipped cream and others. In doing this you will learn new combinations to make substituting one food for another.
The best diets for lowering your high cholesterol are ones that work for you. There are a few ways to help watch the amount of fat you eat such as removing all fat from your meat before cooking it. You can also use egg whites in place of whole eggs and to do this you do not have to rid your fridge of your eggs. You can separate the yolk yourself or go ahead and buy just egg whites.
Eat plenty of fruits, grains, beans and vegetables for a great healthy diet. You might find that reading the labels of an item will turn you against it. For instance, grab one of your favorite foods and read the ingredient label. Do you know what everything is? If not, look them up and find out just what it is in the food you absolutely love. Do you still love it after you know what is in it?
The best diet for high cholesterol is a regular exercise regimen along with eating plenty of fruits, whole grains and vegetables. If high cholesterol runs in your family you may have to use medication to help keep it controlled. Taking medication does not mean you do not have to watch what you eat or exercise. The medication will work better with your diet and exercise routine.
Here are a few diets that you could also try to lower your cholesterol:
* Mayo Clinic Diet ? This diet is specially designed to lower cholesterol ? You will eat plenty of fruit and veggies along with healthy servings from all the many food groups.
* Mediterranean Diet ? This diet will let you eat plenty of fruits, veggies and grains. You can also eat a small amount of red meat along with some fish and poultry and even dairy products. A bonus to this diet is you get a glass of wine with every meal.
* Low Fat Diet ? This is exactly what it says ? low fat. Lowering the amount of fat you intake will help you decrease your cholesterol levels. You will eat foods that are low in fat and only sparingly can you eat high fat foods.
* Vegetarian Diet ? With this diet you eat only fruits, veggies and grains. No mean of any kind can be eaten. You can enjoy soy products, seeds and nuts on this diet as well.
Every person is different and one diet may work better for you than it does for someone else. Try what you think will be the easiest and combine with your regular exercise regimen. These diets will help your high cholesterol and make you feel better and healthier in the process.
Both B.J. Gordey & Toni Neumann are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
B.J. Gordey has sinced written about articles on various topics from High Cholesterol, Lose Weight and College Education. B.J. Gordey is the owner of Top10-diets.com. Are you looking for a diet for high cholesterol and ways to. B.J. Gordey's top article generates over 40500 views. Bookmark B.J. Gordey to your Favourites.
Toni Neumann has sinced written about articles on various topics from High Cholesterol, Home Security. For more information on normal levels of cholesterol, high cholesterol and cholesterol foods to av. Toni Neumann's top article generates over 12100 views. Bookmark Toni Neumann to your Favourites.
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