Low Cholesterol Diet Plan for Healthy Hearts

A high cholesterol level has been linked with a number of diseases. There are many factors that contribute to the increase in cholesterol level. The most prominent among them is to following a diet that is high in saturated fat. Prolonged intake of fat foods, lack of exercises, smoking and drinking habits can contribute to the unhealthy increase of LDL (bad cholesterol).

Low cholesterol diet plan together with healthy lifestyle can help a lot in reducing high cholesterol levels and therefore reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Before you begin indulging a low cholesterol diet program, you should have some idea on what foods are safe to eat and what are not.

You should follow a low cholesterol diet plan to decrease the total intake of saturated fat, calories, and cholesterol in the body and also to lose some weight. The types of foods that can do this for you include mainly fruits and vegetables.

Foods belonging in low cholesterol group have very high fiber content. Dietary fiber soaks cholesterol like sponge and helps get rid of it by disposing it out of the body. Fruits such as apples, oranges and pears are high in fiber content. Oats and carrots are also rich in fiber content.

Increasing the amount of omega-3 fats and decreasing the amount of omega-6 in your diet is another effective way in reducing your risk for heart disease. Foods rich in omega-3 fats are salmon, tuna canned in water, cod, flaxseed, soybeans, walnuts, pecans, wheat germ, canola oil and olive oil.

Low Cholesterol Foods
Low cholesterol foods are one of the natural ways of lowering cholesterol levels. Following a low cholesterol diet can be very effective in controlling and maintaining a normal cholesterol level. This means eating low cholesterol foods such as soy products, lean meats, nuts, vegetables and fruits are good for healthy heart.

High fiber foods are also very helpful in lowering cholesterol. Regular exercise is also a good habit if you are really trying to lower your cholesterol levels. Exercise helps in increasing HDL (good cholesterol) in the body as well as strengthens your heart muscle, helps keep your blood pressure at normal and even helps you in shedding of those excess pounds.

List of cholesterol lowering foods

1. Vegetables – They are high in dietary fiber and dietary nutrients that aids not only regulated metabolism but also balances cholesterol levels. Other benefits of eating vegetables also include the reduction of heart diseases and cancer as well as high blood pressure.

2. Fruits – This food group is also among the top food groups that lower cholesterol because they are very low in calorie content. Fruits contain large amounts of significant vitamins and nutrients that help prevent of vitamin deficiency as well as other diseases.

3. Grains, Nuts & Seeds - They are in high-energy content and dietary fiber content. This makes them effective foods to lower cholesterol level. They are also known as effective in controlling weight. Nuts and seeds contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals and are also high in dietary fiber.

Lean meats - Lean red meats, lean chicken/turkey meats and fish are another important foods in the list of low cholesterol.  These are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients that are excellent for a person's metabolism as well as in fighting off bad cholesterol.

Eat healthy low cholesterol diet for a healthy heart!
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

Copyright © Nick Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the urls (links) active.

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Comments

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 at 9:06 AM, by Low Cholesterol Diet
Cholesterol is present in the meals that you prepare and from those you buy from the store. It is very important that you know the estimated cholesterol content of all the foods you eat.

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