Fit and Healthy Lifestyle

If you have a high cholesterol reading it is important that you take action to reduce the reading. High cholesterol can lead to thickening of the arteries which is a contributing factor to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Treatment generally takes three forms. You have to modify your diet, take exercise and can take cholesterol medication. This article will cover low cholesterol food diets.

Part of the reason that you may have high cholesterol is because your diet consisted of large amounts of saturated and trans fats products. Saturated fats are mainly animal products like meat and dairy products. A low cholesterol food diet should limit the amount of meat and dairy products. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat them but that you must be more careful. In terms of the meat, you should remove excess fat and skin. You should grill or poach the meat rather than fry it. As far as dairy products go, the best alternative is to go for low fat products. Instead of butter or lard, use spreads that have plant sterols in them. Plant sterols limit the absorption of cholesterol into the body.

Trans fats are in much processed foods, like cakes, biscuits, potato chips and many ready cooked products. Trans fats raise cholesterol levels and should be avoided. The best way to check if a food has trans fats in them is to read the label. It will be under trans fats or hydrogenated oil. There is increasing pressure on the food industry to stop using trans fats.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are good for a low cholesterol diet. They don’t have any cholesterol and the fiber in them helps to rid the body of ldl cholesterol. Try to eat as much fresh produce as possible. If you decide to cook food then use mono-unsaturated or polyunsaturated oils. Use light frying rather than deep frying.