Sample Diet For Lowering Cholesterol

First let me make one thing clear that I am not a doctor, only a person with a great deal of experience in the field of natural health. So for serious questions, both about medications and a sample diet for lowering your cholesterol, you should consult your doctor or licensed nutritional specialist. That said, I believe that this article just might contain some valuable information that can provide an excellent starting point for both creating and implementing a sample diet for lowering cholesterol.

Before we get down to business there are a couple of factors that can, and often do, disrupt the effectiveness of even the best sample diet for lowering cholesterol.

*Diuretics or dehydration: The use of diuretics has been shown to raise total cholesterol and triglycerides. Most experts believe the increase to be inconsequential, nevertheless it is worth mentioning. Keep in mind that any drug, either over the counter or prescription, that causes water loss or dehydration can elevate your cholesterol numbers.

*Drug interactions: Your physician has run all the tests and prescribes one of the popular statin drugs such as Lipitor or Zocor. You take the pills as prescribed, never missing a single dose, but when your doctor runs a blood test to measure results, your cholesterol hasn't improved. Why? There could be another medication you are taking that is making your prescription cholesterol medication less effective. The moral of this story is be sure and tell your doctor about all medications you are taking to insure the best results.

So now let's move on to our sample diet for lowering cholesterol. This affordable sample diet for lowering cholesterol has worked well for me and my family and it will work for you too!

*Breakfast: Two egg whites on one slice of flax bread or toast. Fruit or juice along with skim milk can also be added but be sure and check labels for sugar content. Some store bought juices contain an astonishing 40 g of sugar.

*Lunch: Old fashioned oatmeal spiced up with either bananas, almonds, or apples. Butter containing stanols or sterols can also be added to add flavor alone with a pack of your favorite artificial sweetener.

*Dinner: Packaged 97 percent fat free turkey, chicken, or low fat beef with steamed vegetables such as broccoli or green beans (both come in easy to use steam able microwave packs). Fish should be considered once or twice a week if affordable. Kale or collard greens are also great choices as are sweet potatoes.

*Snacks: Low fat yogurt (sugar content should not exceed 10 g); almonds, walnuts, and pecans (be sure and check for nut allergies); and whole grain cereals with slim milk.

*Supplements: Fish oil or flax seed oil are excellent supplements both for cholesterol and overall health. They are reasonably priced but pricing does vary slightly. Additionally, there are a number of excellent herbal and natural cholesterol supplements worth considering, to both support and enhance results. Many naturopathic doctors believe supplementation to be an important part of any sustainable sample diet for lowering cholesterol.

What Next? Lowering cholesterol, in most cases, is about changing old habits, adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of convention medications such as statins or Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good cholesterol) and decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol levels) in a meaningful and sustainable way.