Sunday, December 26, 2010

An Effective Lowering Cholesterol Diet - What You Should Look For?

Finding a truly effective lowering cholesterol diet is something that requires focus and effort. You cannot just wake up one morning and decide that you're going to lower your cholesterol levels. You must have a plan.


The place to begin is with an understanding of what caused your high cholesterol in the first place and what it will take to reverse it. Many people do have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol. This is something you will want to discuss with your doctor. However, that is not to say that medication is the only way to bring your readings back down to an acceptable range.


Whether you have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol or not, a natural approach will leave you feeling healthier and having much more energy than simply taking some pills. The vast majority of individuals can substantially lower their cholesterol levels with a lowering cholesterol diet.


The primary cause of high cholesterol in America is the raising cholesterol diet that most of us eat. A diet that is rich in saturated fats and low in soluble fiber will cause anyone's cholesterol readings to increase little by little so that after many years we find ourselves facing this problem.


There are two primary qualities of a lowering cholesterol diet: 1) high-fiber content, and 2) low saturated fat content.


High-Fiber Diet


You can find many sample diets for lowering cholesterol on the Internet. Just make sure they emphasize high fiber content. The most tried-and-true method of lowering cholesterol is through consuming increased amounts of fiber. Fiber actually accomplishes two things in the body. It stimulates the liver into absorbing more cholesterol and cholesterol attaches itself to fiber so that it is eliminated from the body.


The best sources of fiber that you will find are vegetables, whole grains and nuts. This type of diet when combined with cholesterol lowering supplements that contain plant sterols are the most efficient way of bringing down those stubborn triglycerides and cholesterol levels.


Low-Fat Diet


The lowering cholesterol diet that you choose also needs to be low in saturated fats. However, don't make the mistake of cutting out all fats. Fats are essential to mental and physical health. Eliminate as much red meat, cheeses and other high-fat dairy products as possible.


The types of fats you want to include in a low-fat diet comes from high-fiber sources such as nuts. While not high in fiber, fish and fish oil supplements are very helpful, especially where triglycerides are concerned. Try to use olive oil for cooking as much as possible.

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