Food to Consume To Lower Cholesterol
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 11 February 2008 |
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The saying "We are what we eat" is absolutely right. The food we consume directly affects the cholesterol levels in the blood of a person. It is the cholesterol that makes an individual prone to high blood pressure or coronary heart disease through age. These diseases have the potential to leave the patient paralyzed or even dead.
There is no other option but to make the necessary changes in the person's diet before it is tool ate. The tasty food that people love almost always have high concentration of LDL or the bad cholesterol. One can consciously change this by eating food that is high in HDL or good cholesterol.
Some examples of good food for low cholesterol are:
A good breakfast is the starting point for healthy diet. Replace bread with oatmeal. Some scientific studies have clearly shown that oatmeal can lower body's cholesterol levels by more than 20% in just two weeks of regular use. There can be even better improvement if one makes this a regular habit before going to work.
We cannot deny that eating just oatmeal in the morning is not so interesting for people. Hence people can add fruits to the breakfast menu. Apple is one such good fruit that can be had easily.
It has been proved that persons who eat a minimum of 2 full apples a day or drink 12 ounces of apple juice can cut the chances of heart disease by 50%. Apples are available easily at all the supermarkets and can be easily eaten, either as a dessert after a light lunch or snack.
Vegetables are a must whether it is a lunch or a dinner. Those who prefer meat can have fish or poultry instead of red meat. These dishes are not high in saturated fats and hence are considered to be healthier.
People who cook at home can always mix healthy ingredients in their meal preparations. Garlic is one such ingredient that can declog the arteries and also lower the chances of a person succumbing to heart disease.
A can of pork with beans also makes a good diet. It is mainly because of soluble fibers that can eliminate the bad cholesterol in the individual's body. While not many people can do this, eating atleast half an onion everyday can increase the HDL content and lowe that of LDL.
It is a misconception that all fats are not good for body. Fats come in many forms and there are bad fats as well as good fats. The good fats come in the form of unsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids.
The level of saturation of the fats also makes a difference to the cholesterol levels. Monosaturated and polysaturated oils found in cooking oils are also effective. It also means that food preparation methods also play a crucial role in reducing one's cholesterol levels.
It is advisable for the individual to study the labels on the products at the supermarket, understand the ingredients to know if the cooking medium is healthy or not.
Puttting on more weight or noticing bulges in the unwanted body parts is an indicator of person's risk potential for attracting diseases that are linked to high cholesterol in the body.
For people who are not able to work out their own diet plan, dieticians help can be sought so that the person has to just follow the laid down plan.
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