Healthy Eating Tips To Lower Cholesterol

Cholesterol is found in every cell of the body and has important natural functions in stimulating various activities in the body, including digestion of foods, production of hormones and others. Cholesterol is used for many different things in your body, but it can become a problem when there is too much of it in your blood. High levels of cholesterol in your blood are mainly caused by eating foods high in saturated fats and trans-fats, and not including foods with unsaturated fats and with fibre.There are two types of cholesterol.

HDL (High-density lipoproteins) is classified as good cholesterol and is quite essential for smooth functioning of the body. HDL cholesterol transports all the wastes and toxins backs to the liver. HDL helps to get rid of extra cholesterol from your blood vessels. This may prevent or reverse problems by taking the cholesterol from the plaque.

LDL (Low-density lipoprotein), also known as bad cholesterol, is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins, which transports all fat molecules throughout your body. When too much LDL builds up on your artery walls, plaque forms and blocks blood flow. This can cause heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. You can lower your LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and raise your HDL cholesterol by taking cholesterol-lowering medicine, getting regular exercise, making changes to your eating or doing all three.

Cholesterol levels are rather intimately tied with your diet. If you have been bingeing on trans fats like fries, burgers, and pizzas, there are strong chances of your cholesterol levels to take a hike. On the other hand, adding more of fibre-rich fruits, veggies and whole-grains to your diet, may help keep your LDL cholesterol levels in check. The high fibre content levels of some fruits help in reducing cholesterol levels in a big way.

As well as sticking to a varied and healthy diet, try these tips to help you manage your cholesterol:

- Limit takeaway foods to once a week (such as pastries, pies, pizza, hot chips, fried fish, hamburgers and creamy pasta dishes).
- Limit salty, fatty and sugary snack foods to once a week (these include crisps, cakes, pastries, biscuits, lollies and chocolate).
- Eat plenty of vegetables – aim for 5 serves of vegetables every day. (1 serve is ½ a cup of cooked vegetables).
- Choose wholegrain breads, cereal, pasta, rice and noodles.
- Snack on plain, unsalted nuts and fresh fruit (ideally two serves of fruit every day).
- Include legumes (or pulses) – such as chickpeas, lentils, split peas), beans (such as haricot beans, kidney beans, baked beans three-bean mix) into at least two meals a week. Check food labels and choose the lowest sodium (salt) products.

- Use spreads and margarines made from healthy unsaturated fats ( such as canola, sunflower or extra virgin olive oil) instead of those made with saturated fat (such as butter, coconut oil and cream).
- Choose olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, flaxseed oil, low-fat condiments, soft tub margarines or peanut butter without hydrogenated oils (0 grams trans fat), avocados, nuts, seeds.
- Limit butter, lard, bacon fat, coconut, coconut oil, palm kernel oil.
- Eliminate trans fats or products made with hydrogenated oils.
- Use salad dressings and mayonnaise made from oils – such as canola, sunflower, soybean, olive (especially extra virgin), sesame and peanut oils.

- Include 2 or 3 serves of plant-sterol-enriched foods every day (for example, plant-sterol-enriched margarine, yoghurt, milk and bread).
- Have 2 to 3 portions (150 grams each) of oily fish every week. Fish may be fresh, frozen or canned.
- Include up to 7 eggs every week.
- Select lean meat (meat trimmed of fat, and poultry without skin) and limit unprocessed red meat to less than 350g per week.
- Choose reduced fat, no added sugar milk, yoghurt, or calcium-added non-dairy food and drinks.
- Limit or avoid processed meats including sausages and deli meats (such as salami).