What to Eat and What to Avoid For lowering Cholesterol

What to Eat and What to Avoid For lowering Cholesterol

To adequately lower your cholesterol level, adjustments must be made in your lifestyle and your diet. High cholesterol is one of the leading causes of serious health conditions like heart disease and stroke. Truly, you shouldn't wait until a doctor tells you that you have high cholesterol to start reducing your cholesterol intake and taking steps to maintaining a healthy heart.

What to Eat For Lowering Cholesterol

There are many different kinds of food that you can take for a lower cholesterol level. Those that are high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat have been proven to lower your bad cholesterol and maintain or even increase your good cholesterol. These "good" fats are typically found in certain oils like olive oil, canola oil, soya oil and sunflower oil, as well as many different kinds of nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and almonds.

Foods that are high in soluble fiber are also great in lowering your bad cholesterol. These foods include whole wheat products such as oatmeal, brown rice and whole grain bread. Fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber, and are very helpful in keeping you healthy.

Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish also help raise your good cholesterol level, which then helps your body in getting rid of bad cholesterol. You should eat at least 2 servings of fish weekly, especially trout, mackerel, sardines and salmon. You can also ask your doctor about taking omega 3 supplements if you are not able to eat fish regularly.

What to Avoid For Lowering Cholesterol

There are also foods that you should avoid to maintain a lower cholesterol level. Foods high in saturated fat and trans fat, for example, are really bad for your health. These "bad" fats are commonly found in commercially produced food like French Fries in many fast foods and commercially packaged products.

You should also avoid fried foods, especially those fried in coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil, which is high in saturated fat. Instead, go for foods that are grilled, baked, steamed and boiled, which are a lot healthier.

With regards to dairy products, you should minimize your intake of butter and whole milk, which contain whole-fat. Instead, look for fat-free or low-fat milk and cheeses.

Other Things You Can Do

There are other things you can do to keep healthy in addition to eating these foods for lower cholesterol. Maintaining a healthy weight is very important, as is regular physical activity. Though studies show that some of these foods may help lower cholesterol as much as taking cholesterol-lowering medications would, it is still best to consult with your doctor on what you should and shouldn't take.