Cholesterol Lowering Diets

Cholesterol refers waxy and fatty like substance that is formed in the body. Our liver is primarily responsible for developing cholesterol in our body system. It is an important substance that supports various vital functions in our body such as maintaining healthy cellular walls, building hormones and vitamin D. Also, it helps in building bile acids in our body that gives support to the digestion of fat in particular. However, there is a saying that “too much of anything is good for nothing” and it is also true in this case. Sometimes, our body produces cholesterol more than actually required. High level of cholesterol in our blood stream always puts us in high risk by increasing the possibility of heart diseases and strokes.

Diet plays a significant role in the management of cholesterol in our body system. The level of cholesterol in our body increases if we eat excessive amount of saturated fat in our diet. The saturated fat is common in animal based foods like meat and dairy products. So it is always recommended that you should maintain a healthy diet in order to have a good control on your level of cholesterol. Let us discuss few guidelines for cholesterol lowering diets:

Diet low in saturated fat
In general, the food we take in our regular diet is a combination of saturated and unsaturated fat. Saturated fat actually increases the cholesterol level in our blood. It is primarily found from animal products such as meat, dairy products, and lard as well as also from few vegetable oils like coconut oil and palm oil. So it is always advisable that you should stay away from all these substances if you have a high cholesterol level or even if you have a family history of the same. You can always alter your diet from these apparently harmful substances to cholesterol lowering diets full of green vegetables and fruits – they are really beneficial for your health.

Diet low in total fat
It is always recommended that you should have a minimum level of fat in your regular diet. It is because the food high in total fat has a high level of saturated fat. It is always better that you must substitute your fat food with unsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat for saturated one. If you like to include unsaturated fat in your diet, you may depend on having olive oil or canola oil in your cholesterol lowering diet, whereas, for polyunsaturated diet, safflower oil, sunflower oil or corn flower oil can be a good choice for you.

Diet low in cholesterol
Dietary cholesterol increases the level of cholesterol in your blood. So it is always advisable that you select your diet low in cholesterol. Generally, animal products are high in dietary cholesterol, so refrain from it in your cholesterol lowering diet as much as possible even if you have a family history of high cholesterol level.

Diet high in starch and fiber
It is highly recommended that you must add starch and fiber in your regular diet to make it a cholesterol lowering diet. It is available in green vegetables, fruits, breads, grains, corns, dry beans, peas and cereals. It offers a low calorie diet compared to high fat food. Not only that, it also aids in deriving a good amount of vitamins and minerals. If you are able to switch your diet from saturated to the diet full of starch and fiber, certainly it will enhance your health condition. Of course, it will help you lowering the level of cholesterol in your blood. The bright colored fruits also help in preventing cholesterol from being chemically altered due to its antioxidant property.
Following a low fat diet always increases the possibility to have a healthy system. It will help you reducing calories, extra fat and weight from your body. Obesity is truly threatening for developing heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Overweight definitely increases the risk high blood cholesterol level. To fight with obesity, you must maintain a healthy cholesterol lowering diet along with regular exercise.