High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for developing heart disease, heart attack and stroke. High cholesterol is preventable and treatable with diet, exercise and medication. Bad cholesterol, or LDL, slowly accumulates on the walls of arteries and forms a plaque, when in high amounts in the blood. This plaque narrows the inside of the blood vessel, causing the heart to work harder to move the blood through the body. These plaques can break off and cause heart attacks and stroke if they flow into the small vessels of the heart or into the brain. The simplest way to prevent and treat high cholesterol is with a proper diet.
American Heart Association Diet
The American Heart Association is the leading expert in all things associated with the heart. It has developed guidelines for healthy eating for heart-related conditions. Its recommendations for a heart-healthy diet is as follows: 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day, two 3.5 oz. servings of oily fish per week, at least 1 oz. of whole grains per day, less than 1500mg of sodium per day; less than 36 oz., or 4 cups, of sugar-sweetened beverages per week; at least four servings of nuts, seeds and legumes per week, no more than 2 oz. of processed meat per week, and less than 7 percent of total calories from saturated fat, such as animal fat, butter and margarine.
American Dietetic Association
The American Dietetic Association is the foremost expert organization on nutrition and nutrition-related diseases. Its recommendations are simple. First, consume a diet low in saturated and trans fats, saturated fat is found in meat, dairy, baked goods, fried foods and processed foods; trans fats are found in fried and processed foods. Next, have a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, these are heart-protecting fats and can be found in oily fish and olive oil. A high-fiber diet also helps to lower cholesterol, high-fiber foods are whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Lastly, a heart healthy diet should be low in both sugar and salt.
TLC Diet
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NHLBI, has developed a diet known as Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, or TLC. The NHLBI claims "the TLC Diet is a low saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet that will help to reduce your blood cholesterol level to decrease your chance of developing heart disease, future heart attacks, and other heart disease complications." The dietary recommendations for the TLC diet are: less than 7 percent of total calories from saturated fat, 25 to 35 percent of total calories from fat, less than 200mg of cholesterol per day, less than 2,400mg of sodium per day, and enough calories to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight gradually.
