Cholesterol Lowering Diet

When gorging on our favorite foods, we never think of the excess cholesterol that is getting built up in our body. Cholesterol is nothing but a waxy substance found in the body which can clog arteries in the body. There are two types of lipoproteins: High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL) or good cholesterol and Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterol. When the cholesterol gets deposited in the arteries, it leads to narrowing of the arteries leading to a condition known as atherosclerosis which can result in a heart attack and other heart diseases. Therefore, in order to prevent this condition, one should avoid consuming foods that contain bad cholesterol. The cholesterol lowering diet is planned such that these foods are completely excluded in order to maintain a proper cholesterol level.

Cholesterol Lowering Diet Plan

When planning your diet for lowering cholesterol, you need to follow certain tips and techniques. Firstly, you need to completely avoid having dietary fat (saturated and trans fat), hydrogenated fat and exclude foods having excess amount of calories. Secondly, sodium or salt containing foods should also be avoided as they can also lead to excess cholesterol build up in the body. Therefore, all the high fats and cholesterol foods like butter, cheese, bacon; fired foods like chips; high sodium containing foods like pickles, etc. should not be consumed. On the other hand, one should go for healthy foods and high fiber foods like fruits and vegetable when you're on a cholesterol lowering diet. Here is a list of foods to be consumed and foods to be avoided in your low cholesterol diet.

Cholesterol Lowering Foods List

As mentioned above, foods can be categorized as those that are good or bad for cholesterol. The following is the cholesterol lowering foods list about foods safe to consume as well as those that should be avoided.

Foods Safe to Consume
The following is the good cholesterol foods list that can be safely consumed as they do not contain any cholesterol.

• Fruits and vegetables
• Whole grain bread, pasta, rice, cereals
• Low fat crackers, cookies, tofu
• Low or no fat milk, cream, cottage cheese, yogurt
• Lean meat, pork, fish, egg white, poultry without skin
• Nuts, seeds, beans, lentils

Foods to Avoid
The following is a list of foods that need to be avoided in your cholesterol lowering diet for lowering cholesterol naturally.

• Cakes, muffins, pastries, chocolates, candies, pies
• Whole milk, chocolate milk, butter, cheese, cream
• Organ meat, breaded meat, egg yolk
• Vegetable oil, margarine, bacon fat, salad dressings
• Crisps, chips, high fat crackers, fried foods

Cholesterol Lowering Diet Foods

Apart from the above mentioned ones, there are several foods which are cholesterol lowering foods that help in maintaining the proper cholesterol level in the body. These foods should be included in your cholesterol lowering diet menu everyday. They include:

• Fish
• Oats
• Soy products
• Olive oil
• Nuts and seeds
• Legumes
• Flax seeds
• Walnuts

It is advisable to plan your weekly meal well in advance so that you can include all the healthy foods in the diet. On the other hand, it is recommended to cook food at home and avoid eating out as much as possible to avoid the excess intake of fat and cholesterol. While buying products, you should also take a look at the labels and check for the amount of fats found in each product. Along with the cholesterol lowering diet, you also need to exercise regularly as it is one of the natural ways to lower cholesterol. A daily walk, cycle, jog, etc. can help in lowering cholesterol as well as maintaining a healthy weight.

This was brief information on the cholesterol lowering diet. Lastly, on a concluding note, one should remember that having a proper and nutritious diet, having less amounts of bad cholesterol, can definitely help in keeping heart diseases at bay. So, plan your meals properly and have a long and healthy life. Take care!