Food To Consume To Lower Cholesterol
“We are what we eat”. How true this saying is! The food we eat determines the cholesterol levels of our body. High cholesterol levels can cause heart diseases and high blood pressure as age progresses which can lead to paralysis or death in the patient.
Unless several important changes are made in the diet, high cholesterol levels can steal entire lives. These days, almost all of the most popular foods stuffs contain large quantities of LDC known more popularly as bad cholesterol. By substituting these with HDL widely known as “good cholesterol” we can have a much healthier life. Given below are some of the best ways to do this.
Breakfast is the most important part of the day’s meal. Bread should be avoided and it should be replaced by oatmeal. Doing this ensures that in just two weeks the cholesterol levels in the body will be reduced by almost 20%. Making this a habit will greatly reduce the cholesterol levels of the body.
If the breakfast cannot contain oatmeal, fruits such as apples should be had. Having two apples or twelve ounces of good apple juice in a day can lower the chance of carious diseases of the heart by almost 50%. Apples are easy to get in all supermarkets and can be had whenever possible irrespective of the time of the day. It can be had as dessert or a snack or even after having a light meal.
Making vegetables a part of lunch and dinner is the most effective way to ensure a healthy diet. Also red meat should be replaced with fish or poultry. These food stuffs are healthier as they do not contain saturated fats.
People who love cooking can add ingredients such as garlic in their food. Garlic has the property of declogging arteries thereby reducing the chances of getting heart diseases.
Beans and pork are good for health. A can of either can greatly reduce risk of bad cholesterol as they contain fibers that are soluble and can help in fighting bad cholesterol. Onions are not all that popular among people but having just half an onion per day greatly reduces LDC and increases HDC in the body.
There is a popular misconception that all fats are bad for health. This is not entirely correct. There are different kinds of fats. Some are bad for the health while others like omega 3 fatty acids and unsaturated fats are considered to be healthy.
The way in which the food is prepared greatly affects the cholesterol levels of the body. Cooking oils contain monosaturated and polysaturated fats which are highly effective in lowering cholesterol levels in the body. Hence food should be cooked using these oils.
While shopping, the ingredients of the item should be properly read from the label in order to ensure that it is healthy.
People who are overweight and flabby are the ones that are most likely to suffer from various diseases caused by the high levels of bad cholesterol.
If making a personalized dietary plan is difficult for an individual, then a proper dietitian should be consulted who can work out a diet plan that should be followed religiously by the individual.