How To Lower Your Cholesterol
By Ispas Marin
Seriously high levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL) represent a menacing cause of heart
disease. By lowering the LDL level in your blood, you will automatically lower the
total level of the cholesterol in your body (the HDL also known as the ‘good’ cholesterol
and the LDL – the ‘bad’ cholesterol) and it will prevent the occurrence of heart
disease. You can use a drug treatment to lower the cholesterol level, but you can
also use a more healthy method – the dietary agents and food supplements that will
lower your cholesterol in a natural way. In other words, a diet low in saturated
fats and rich in fibres may help you lower cholesterol levels downwards to a normal
limit.
We will offer you some piece of advice on what exactly to eat and what not to eat
during a diet in order to lower cholesterol level. Keep in mind that this diet it
is not very difficult to respect, it requires strength of will and determination
to retain yourself from eating the ‘bad’ foods. The tips below should be followed
for a period of one month, and then you should get your cholesterol level checked
again to see the results of the diet.
1. The first thing you have to do is to reduce the amount of red meat in your daily
alimentation. You will replace it with white meat (poultry) and fish which have
a low fat level.
2. It is absolutely necessary for you to eliminate or at least to eat less saturated
fats. This means that you should start having skimmed milk, low cholesterol spread
or light cheese, instead of your normal foods. These light products may not be as
tasty as the fat ones, but they care save your life.
3. A healthy diet means a healthy digestion. Foods that are high in fibre (like
whole grain cereals or muesli) will eventually help you lower cholesterol by eliminating
the dietary fats.
4. Stop frying your food and start grilling them. It prevents the loss of vitamins
from the vegetables; therefore you will eat healthier.
5. Eating out can be a test for your determination to lower cholesterol. The best
method to pass this test is to eat mainly in restaurants that are serving low cholesterol
dishes. In order to avoid ruining your diet, you should ask for the dressings and
gravies to be served separately so that you will control the quantity you are eating.
Don’t eat them in excess. Try to eat a healthy salad instead of French fries. We
know, it is not as tasty but it will lower the ‘evil’ cholesterol.
5. Stop being a ‘couch potato’, start exercising every day. You can do aerobics,
you can walk or jog, you can even play basketball, but it is absolutely necessary
for you to do it every day.
6. Tropical oils don’t do you good. If you want to get a lower cholesterol level
you must start using vegetable oils (olive oil is the best choice) or canola oils.
7. Always read the label on the food products you are buying to be sure of what
you are buying in terms of fats level.
8. Now let’s talk about alcohol. Drinking is not exactly your best activity during
a diet, as it can ruin your efforts, but latest research has shown that a glass
of red wine per day can lower cholesterol in some cases.
9. A cholesterol lowering medication if it is prescribed or recommended by a physician
will have maximum effectiveness for your diet if you will respect it entirely.
10. And we saved the best for last. Always remember that a diet for reducing cholesterol
level will definitely help you lose weight. Happy eating!
For Further Reading