Posts Tagged ‘low cholesterol foods’
What Do These Cholesterol Numbers Mean?
Should your doctor decide that it is time to test your cholesterol, he or she will send you for a blood test, and then wait for the cholesterol numbers to be reported. Plan to spend a little discussing these numbers with your doctor, asking about how you can improve them if that is in fact needed, and ask what your risk is for heart disease.
If your cholesterol numbers are not acceptable, your doctor may recommend that you take prescription drugs to help get your cholesterol levels in a better range as quickly as possible. Not doing this could lead to heart disease, so take seriously the medical advice you are given.
Now, if your numbers are acceptable, your medical practitioner may just suggest that you improve your diet, moving to a low cholesterol diet, and hardly contains high cholesterol foods on a regular basis.
Once you become of the foods that are good and bad for you, then switching to low cholesterol foods should not be a problem, especially since you know that once you have changed, your heart health is going to be improving, and your risk of heart problems will be getting lower.
This is exactly what you want, a healthy heart. But along with the avoidance of a high cholesterol diet, you need to be exercising, may be four days a week going for a brisk walk for about 30 minutes, as this will help your fitness level, and your overall health.
So, if you are to eat foods low in cholesterol , what does that mean you will be consuming, and what foods should you avoid? It is necessary to avoid an excess of animal products, this means red meats should be consumed in moderation, with only the leanest cuts of meat being considered. Egg yolks are also of high cholesterol, but the egg whites are fine, so think about switching to egg white products rather than whole eggs.
Butter is not recommended, as it is an animal product, so if you still need to cook in oil, think about using olive oil, especially virgin olive oil. This is less processed than light olive oil which is so called just because it is lighter in color, not lighter in calories.
Oat bran and oatmeal is good for you to eat, and is a great breakfast food. It provides you with soluble fibre, which is also found in barley, pears and apples.
Pulses, or legumes, or dried peas, dried beans and lentils are good for you, because not only do they provide you with soluble fibre, but they also contain plant protein, which is good for the growth of tendons and muscles, as well as good for internal organs, blood, hair and bones, too.
Naturally, there are a lot more foods that could be mentioned for a diet of low cholesterol, but I am running out of space here. The important thing is to start reducing your cholesterol now, so that you are at lower risk of heart disease or strokes. But of course, the decision is yours, lower your cholesterol now, or be at risk for strokes and heart attacks in your future.