Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Options and Sample Diets For Lowering Cholesterol

All people, regardless if they are suffering from heart ailments or not, have to be aware of their cholesterol level. Bad cholesterol in the blood means danger. It can cause clogged arteries that would eventually lead to heart problems. You never know if your cholesterol level is high or not. It is because this condition rarely has symptoms. The only safe assumption is that obese individuals are more likely to have high cholesterol deposits in their bloodstream. This is why it is always being said that obese individuals are very prone to heart diseases. However, it doesn't follow that the skinny ones don't have alarming levels of cholesterol in their blood at all. And so to be on the safe side, you should always be on the look out for sample diets for lowering cholesterol, whether or not you are at a high risk of heart diseases.

Sample diets for lowering cholesterol can easily be obtained from online sources. Today, there are many reputable health sites that support heart disease patients. You can find good recipes and diet plans from there. Those diets are actually created by qualified health professionals as a means of helping patients who are currently battling their respective diseases.

Experts are also into publishing health books containing sample diets for lowering cholesterol. You can find books that can help you from a local bookstore or from the library. These printed materials are the most reliable sources because they are written by a specialist and they have passed through series of editing and verification to prevent errors. You can pattern your meals with the sample diets for lowering cholesterol contained in them.

Other than the internet and from books, sample diets for lowering cholesterol can also be requested directly from your attending physician. While they rarely provide you with a complete diet plan to follow 365 days a year, they can at least provide you with a list of food items that you have to consume and the types of foods you should stay clear of. Once you have a guide, it will become easy for you to adjust your meals in order to accommodate the foods that you have to take on a regular basis.

It is also possible to get a sample diets for lowering cholesterol from a dietitian. If you know of such a professional, then he or she can prepare you a full year diet plan, which you can follow to address the high levels of cholesterol in your blood. If not, you can just do some research on your own and make your own diet. Doing that can actually be simple, once you know the basics of high cholesterol, what they are, how they form, and which foods can regulate them.

A sample diet plan as prepared by the American Heart Association indicates that you should take less than five ounces of lean meat a day. The same goes true for fish, poultry, and other meat alternatives. Fish are actually good sources of Omega-3. You might want to choose them over lean meat, which have higher cholesterol content. Eggs are considered meat alternatives. You should only eat a maximum of two eggs per week. If you have to eat more, make sure that you limit your intake to the white part of the egg alone. Egg yolks are high in cholesterol and you should never go over what was required.

Dairy is required by the body even if it may have high cholesterol content. Examples would be milk, cheese, and yogurt. Butter, margarine, and creams are dairies too. These are the items that you should block off your list as much as possible. Limit your intake to the dairy essentials as stated previously. AHA recommends that you have a maximum of 3 servings of the necessary low-fat dairy everyday.

Oils are used for cooking and preparing foods. This is why it is impossible to completely remove it from your diet. However, you have to be careful in your choice of oil. As much as possible go for the ones that have lower cholesterol content. Safflower oil is your best option. Limit your use of oil to only 8 tablespoons a day.

Grains, vegetables, and fruits will always be part of any sample diets for lowering cholesterol. The AHA says that you should take more than six servings of wholegrain, at least 5 servings of vegetables, and 4 servings of fruits everyday. These food items are going to be the main elements of your diet, so you better start liking them, if ever you don't.

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