The Right Diet To Lower Cholesterol Levels

The right diet to lower cholesterol levels can work wonders for you. It helps to reduce the levels of the bad cholesterol. This helps protect from heart troubles and also incidents of blocked arteries. It is essential to opt for a healthy diet as we age.

A low cholesterol diet implies that you need to consume less of foods high in saturated fat and more of foods which lead to increased levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and help lower bad cholesterol (LDL).

Nature has given us plenty of food choices which help to lower LDL and raise HDL. A low cholesterol diet typically consists of such food. You need to eat more of these natural cholesterol busters and less of foods high in saturated fat. The liver is forced to produce increasing amounts of LDL when we eat high levels of unsaturated fats.

The low cholesterol diet mainly consists of food items like oatmeal, rice bran, soy and soy products, nuts, sterol fortified foods, fiber rich food, whole grains, legumes, fish full of omega 3 fatty acid, garlic, vitamin E and C rich fruits and vegetables.

Are you wondering why this list looks familiar? Well these are all food items rich in protein and fiber. When we consume a lot of soluble fiber, the liver produces more HDL and less and less of LDL. This keeps away heart complications and keeps the blood flowing freely.

Let us be clear here that fatty foods are not bad for your heart. Infact the consumption of foods like olive oil, fish, nuts, avocado etc is very beneficial for the heart. These food items have a high fat content but the fat is all of the unsaturated type. This is good news for the body and particularly so for the heart. These are fats are essential for body function and for the making of HDL.

A high fiber breakfast of oat or rice bran along with a helping of fruit would be a perfect start to the day. Be sure to have five helpings of vegetables and fruits as they give you a lot of fiber and nutrients. Juices are not part of the game as they have no fiber. Increase your garlic intake, cooked or raw; it works wonders on the LDL.

Processed and packaged foods are a store house of high cholesterol. They are high on salts or sugar and unsaturated fats. Their consumption leads to increased production of LDL by the liver. Other food items which are high on cholesterol are meat, egg yolk, full fat dairy produce, fried food items, and food cooked in saturated fats.

A good low cholesterol diet helps you fight your cholesterol problem and also keep it in control. Eat healthily and wisely.