Diet To Lower Cholesterol - Extra Bonus Included - Lower Risk Of Heart Disease And Stroke

If you have chosen to read this article, then you are most likely aware that cholesterol is something that can affect your health in a negative way. A cholesterol problem isn't like getting the flu or poison ivy, a health problem of which you are very aware. With those, either you feel bad, run a fever or have an irritation you can't ignore.

Cholesterol is a sneaky problem, one that creeps up on you slowly, and then steadily gains a grip on your body without giving any warning that you would tend to notice. That is until one day you get a routine checkup or perhaps see your doctor for some other reason resulting in a blood test. Then the truth comes out. The doctor will inform you that your blood shows a higher than normal level of LDL (bad cholesterol) along with a lower than normal level of HDL (good cholesterol).

The doctor cannot ignore this abnormal condition and will give you some advice and recommend that you take some kind of action to restore your cholesterol levels to a healthy balance. At the top of the list of actions recommended will be to start being aware of what types of food you eat. In a word, diet.

That scary and disliked four letter word often brings on reactions like cheat, sneak, just a little won't hurt and fantasies of sizzling steak with creamy milk shakes. Sure, you need to modify your eating habits some. But if you think of the diet as a fun way to experiment with new foods and recipes instead of being condemned to a life of bland tasteless 'good for you' foods, then you might find it more tolerable.

The body naturally produces cholesterol by the liver when prompted by high levels of sugar and carbohydrates. Cholesterol is actually a necessary substance that has many functions within your body. Cholesterol assists the body in producing hormones, maintaining healthy cells and produces bile that supports the digestion of fat.

It is important that the right diet consists of foods that provide good cholesterol in addition to avoiding foods that elevate the bad cholesterol. Both types of cholesterol have functions in the body's metabolism. The right diet should include foods that maintain a balance of both LDL and HDL cholesterol. To measure the effectiveness of your diet, periodic blood tests will be needed to determine the amount of overall cholesterol as well as the concentrations of LDL and HDL.

The right diet will require a shift from convenience foods to natural foods. For example, some of the worst foods are those that contain saturated fats, something that is in many types of 'fast food' meals. This diet needs to avoid food that is cooked by being deep fried or baked in oil. The secret is that best is fresh. Include fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts in your diet. None of these will contribute much if any cholesterol to your body.

Another important consideration for the right diet is by the style of cooking in your kitchen. Some traditional methods of preparing healthy food will add too much salt, butter and saturated oils that will counteract the good properties of the food. Healthy cooking would include using unsaturated oils along with steaming and boiling instead of frying.

There are several foods that seem to have very high anti-cholesterol properties. Among these are avocados, almonds, oats and garlic. On the other hand, there are foods that are loaded with cholesterol. These types of foods need to be avoided and only eaten on occasion, if ever. Examples of foods to avoid are animal products such as full fat milk, egg yolks, organ meats (liver or kidneys) along with processed foods such as hot dogs, salami, sausages and bologna.

So what is the benefit of giving up or at least cutting way back on all this good tasting fast food you might ask? The bonus is a longer healthier life with a much lower risk of heart disease. Not a bad tradeoff, wouldn't you say?

By: Rhea Hamilton

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Rhea Hamilton is an advocate and educator of natural methods to maintain a healthy cholesterol balance in your blood stream. For more great techniques about how to naturally lower cholesterol, visit www.lowercholesterolblog.com.