1. Your Diet is the First Step Toward Lowering Cholesterol Levels
If you're looking for easy ways to lower your cholesterol, the best approach is by adding low-fat foods that are rich in fiber while eliminating processed foods with high sugar content. Choosing foods that are low in saturated fat is actually more important than foods that are low in cholesterol. Saturated fat in the diet has been proven to elevate low density lipoproteins, or LDLs that contribute to heart disease. Eating foods that have high fiber contents will help to eliminate LDLs from your body, fill you up and aid in digestion.
2. Make Slow Changes to Your Diet
If you've been told by your doctor to make healthy changes to your diet, do it slowly. Rather than trying to make abrupt changes, you should be making lifetime modifications. For instance, begin by phasing out whole milk and replacing it with nonfat milk at breakfast. At lunch, instead of making a sandwich with processed white bread, switch to one of the whole grains available in your supermarket. In addition to making specific food choices, cut down on all of your portions by dishing up food in the kitchen. When you've eaten what's on your plate, don't go back for seconds. And for desert, replace the ice cream and cookies with fruit or sorbet. Both are delicious, low-fat alternatives that are in line with your new eating habits.
3. General Guidelines for Low Cholesterol Diets
Your doctor just came back with the results of your last blood test and news isn't good. Cheer up. It's easier to turn things around than you think. Eating a heart-healthy diet essentially entails returning to the way that man used to eat, by eliminating processed snacks and replacing them with simple, high fiber, low-fat foods. According to the American Heart Association, a heart-healthy diet is one that is composed of foods that are low in saturated and trans fats. The remainder of the fats you eat should consist of mono and polyunsaturated fats. Limit your total cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg and reduce your sodium consumption to 2300 mg per day or less.
4. There Are Good Fats and Bad Fats
When embarking on a low-fat diet, it's essential that you understand the differences between fats and how they impact your health. There are basically 4 types of fats to look for: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fats. Some should be included in your diet. Some should be completely avoided. Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) are available in most nuts, avocados and olive oil. MUFAs help to lower LDLs and raise HDLs. Polyunsaturated fats work similar to MUFAs and are found in salmon, fish oil and corn. Omega-3 fatty acids belong to this group and are important for reducing your risk for heart disease. Saturated fats are readily available in meats, dairy products, eggs, certain types of seafood and coconut, palm and palm kernel oil. Trans fats are commercially produced liquid oils that were invented to add shelf life to foods like French fries, microwave popcorn and hard stick margarine. Both saturated and trans fats increase your LDLs and raise your cholesterol levels, so use them sparingly.
5. Integrating Your New Diet with an Exercise Program
Now that you've decided to make some heart-healthy changes to your diet, it's time to look at the rest of the big picture. Researchers agree that while there are many foods that will help to reduce your LDLs, there are few that will elevate HDLs. You have to do that through exercise. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, including at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise a day will contribute to higher HDL levels, lower your triglycerides, help your body to use glucose and will help to control your weight and blood pressure.
