Diet for Lowering Cholesterol

If you've been diagnosed with high cholesterol, it's essential to follow a diet for lowering cholesterol in order to improve health and maximize life span. This type of diet is not focused on outward appearance and the excess weight that makes us unhappy, but instead focuses on the scientific interior of our bodies which is what determines our over all health.

Cholesterol: The Enemy Within

Cholesterol is a white fatty substance which is found naturally in the body. Cholesterol’s key function is to ensure that every cell runs smoothly and when present in its correct amounts only does good.

Having too much cholesterol in the blood stream causes narrowing of important blood vessels, which in turn restricts vital blood flow to the body’s vital organs such as the heart, brain, lungs and kidneys. In particular, narrowing which restricts blood flow to the heart and brain predisposes life threatening problems such as heart attacks and strokes.

Rarely are people in earlier life tested for problems such as high cholesterol. Until a serious event occurs, such as a heart attack, many people live life oblivious to the fact that they even had high cholesterol as it does not present warning symptoms. It is essential, that from around the age of 50, blood cholesterol levels are checked every couple of years, and for those with a significant family history of heart disease and high cholesterol it is probably advisable to do this as early as 40 and beyond. Once a ‘baseline’ cholesterol level is established, it can be improved upon. It is surprising how quickly cholesterol can be reduced if you follow a diet for lowering cholesterol. To better understand how to lower your cholesterol it's important to understand the science behind ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol. That's right, there are two types of cholesterol.

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) – this is known as the ‘good’ cholesterol and its function is to vacuum up all the bad cholesterol and take it to the liver where it is excreted from the body. Therefore a high level is good for the body as the more that is present in the blood stream, the greater work it does to eliminate the ‘bad’ cholesterol.
• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) – known as the ‘bad’ cholesterol, this one does the opposite of the HDL and takes cholesterol from the liver and deposits it in the arteries causing a narrowing over time.

Limit Risk: Follow a Diet for Lowering Cholesterol

Following a cholesterol lowering diet is not a difficult challenge. In fact, it isn’t even a challenge. This type of regime centers on the need to eat healthily over all. It focuses on including or reducing certain types of food within the diet, however these are usually ‘everyday’ food items. The following offers basic, sensible advice regarding the essential food groups which are allowed or should be avoided when embarking on a diet for lowering cholesterol:

Fats

It is best to limit all fats. In particular avoid the following:

• Butter and margarines which are low in poyunsaturates
• Dripping, lard and suet
• Cooking oil and vegetable oil of unknown origin

When eating 'bad fats' it is almost like placing the cholesterol in the body yourself, fat = cholesterol.

Meats

Meats which are deemed allowable include:

• Chicken and turkey
• Veal
• Rabbit
• Game

These are known to be less fatty meats.

Meats to avoid include:

• Meats with visible fat on them unless it is entirely removed
• Pork and bacon which are particularly fatty meats
• Prepared meats such as pate, sausages, salami, pork pies and luncheon meat
• Duck and goose which are extremely fatty

Eggs and Dairy

These types of food are quite heavily restricted, however, some are allowed but only in their 'low fat' form, for example:

• Skimmed milk
• Low-fat cheese such as cottage cheese, quark or curd cheese
• Egg white
• Low-fat yogurt

And those which are definite no-no's include:

• Full cream milk
• Evaporated or condensed milk
• Cream - even imitation cream such as those in aerosols
• Regular fat cheese and cream cheeses
• Full-fat yogurt

Although we rely on dairy as a staple part of our diets, it is possible to get by following the healthy restrictions.

Fish

Fish which is classed as 'oily' is particularly encouraged when following a low cholesterol diet. The following are especially good as they are high in Omega-3 which is known to elevate HDL:

• Herring
• Mackrel
• Sardines
• Tuna
• Salmon

The good thing about these is that they hold a great amount of goodness even if they are eaten from a tin, they don't necessarily have to be fresh. Other allowable fish includes white fish such as cod, haddock and plaice, and those to avoid are fried fish and fish roe.

Fruit and Vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are pretty limitless in terms of what is good for you. The important thing to remember is that although something may be deemed as good, the way it is cooked could make it the exact opposite. For example potatoes are good particularly if the skins are eaten. However, eating them as fries or in roasted form totally changes their benefit.

Cereals and Breads

Most cereals are good, but it is best to eat them in their most basic form. Many manufacturers 'jazz up' products by coating them in lots of sugar which really isn't good news. Stick to wholemeal bread or wholegrain cereals as these are always more healthy. Things to avoid include pastries and bread products which may be embossed with cream and cheese.

Desserts

We all love a sticky dessert, particularly when we think it offers us comfort. These type of desserts tends to be full of fat in the form of cream and butter, so really they don't offer any nutritious value. For desserts, it is best to stick to:

• Low-fat yogurts
• Jelly
• Sorbet
• Skimmed milk pudding
• Fresh fruit

Adopt Good Habits

The key to following this type of diet is adopting good habits that can be sustained. Fad diets only tend to have a life-span of a couple of weeks at most. The best diets are ones which allow the consumer to follow clear instruction which is often aided by good food labeling. Food labeling is particularly geared toward 'heart health' which is what achieving low cholesterol is all about. So focus on the fat content of foods, and the rest is easy..

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