How To Lower Your Cholesterol While Eating Healthy

When you have high cholesterol you are more at risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke. By finding a way to lower your cholesterol with the food you eat you are fighting back and on the road to a healthier, happier you.

Losing weight will help lower your cholesterol levels and you’ll feel better too. You need to learn what is healthy and what is not, then get into this particular pattern of eating. Using portion control is the main thing when preparing your meals. Your meat portion should be about the size of your fist balled up. ¼ of your plate should be salad and vegetables. Sauces, dressings and butter should be no larger than a Quarter.

Fiber is also very important part of your diet. Foods containing fiber actually help you feel full longer. Some high fiber foods are oatmeal, whol oat cereal’s, lentils, apples, beans and pears.

You need to decrease your intake of refined carbohydrates or eliminate the all together. These include foods like bagels and pasta (you can eat whol wheat pasta).

Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. They make wonderful snacks and are full of nutrition, low in calories and high in fiber. Salad is also a healthy choice for lunch or a snack. Bok choy, collards, romaine and spinach make tasty salad dishes, just add a few of your favorite sliced raw vegetables, Season with herbs and a few drops of olive oil and vinegar. It’s a good healthy alternative.

Fruit and vegetables have a lot of vitamins and minerals. You are suppose to eat 5-9 servings of fruit and/or vegetables a day.

When you go shopping check ingredient listings and labels, especially on packages of chips, cookies, cracker, dressing , etc. You are looking for no or low cholesterol (eating foods that contain cholesterol may raise your own cholesterol levels). Avoid any packages containing saturated fats, oils such as coconut or palm, refined carbohydrates and partially hydrogenated oils. These are all things you do not need.

If you eat eggs, cut down to no more than 5-6 a week. Use egg substitutes if possible, they’re better for you and have lower cholesterol in them.

When using oils and oil sprays use ones made with olive oil and canola oil. Avoid oils made out of vegetable oils they contain more fats.

Fried foods are never a good for your diet, especially when they are cooked in vegetable oil.

Limit your consumption of red meats. Pork chops and pork tenderloins is alright as long as it baked, broiled or grilled. Chicken without skin can also be eaten, baked, broiled or grilled.

If you’re a milk drinker switch to skim or low-fat milk instead of whole milk.

Tasty snacks are cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds as long as their unsalted and you watch your quantity. A palm size serving a day is okay and can satisfy your mid-afternoon munchies.

Real butter is your worst friend. There are several butter substitutes out on the market now that taste like real butter but have none of the cholesterol or fats.

Following these tips along with your doctors dietary suggestions, eating healthy and nutritious will become a way of life. In the long run, you’ll be able to run longer.