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DIET TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL

June 25th, 2007 admin No comments

diet to lower cholesterol
diet to lower cholesterol

Lack of exercise, improper eating habits, and irregular diet patterns are the main reasons that promote cholesterol build up in the blood. Your cholesterol levels must be within the normal range for you to live a healthy life.

In case your cholesterol levels are high, you must find a way out to lower cholesterol levels. Below mentioned are some important ways of controlling cholesterol levels

1. Consult a doctor

Whenever increased cholesterol is observed in the blood, it is important to seek consultation of an experienced doctor immediately. Depending on your body composition and existing cholesterol levels, a doctor would suggest you the right medication, diet and exercise for controlling your cholesterol levels.

2. Switch to the right diet

Your diet governs the state of your health. You could help yourself a lot by ensuring a good healthy and fat free diet. Red meat, oil rich cooked items, and whole eggs should always be avoided. You need to ensure that you take in a minimum amount of saturated fats.

Your diet could actually include some green vegetables, fruits, legumes, lean meat, and fish. These foods are known to contain active metabolites such as vitamins, minerals, and polyunsaturated fatty acids that can effectively remove cholesterol from the body.

3. Exercise Daily

Exercising is arguably the best way to control your increasing cholesterol levels. A walk for 10-15mins in a day helps reduce cholesterol levels a great deal. Depending on the age and stamina, one can even practice moderate intensity exercises such as swimming, jogging, cycling, and aerobics.

Exercises also help in improving the overall metabolism of the individual, burns excess fats present in the body, flushes away toxins from the body, and strengthens the cardiovascular system.

4. Natural Supplements

Statins are the best prescribed drugs for controlling blood cholesterol. There are side effects of statins which include impotency, pains in muscles and birth defects in new born This is the main reason why people have started using alternate medicines and natural supplements to lower the levels of cholesterol within a very short span of time.

Derived from natural sources such as rice bran, green tea, and citrus rind, natural cholesterol supplements are known to contain ingredients like Policosanol, oryzanol, vitamin E, Lecithins, and D-Limonene, which would help reduce the levels of cholesterol in your body in a natural and safe way and keep your heart healthy during the days to come.

If you’re interested in learning the secrets of finding the best natural cholesterol remedies, visit my website, where I share the products that have been proven fast, safe and effective in lowering cholesterol naturally.

You can visit my website at http://www.naturalcholesterolremedies.net/

How is soluble fiber in the diet thought to help lower blood cholesterol level?

a)It denatures cholesterol in the stomach
b) It hydrolyzes cholesterol in the intestinal tract
c)It traps cholesterol in the intestinal tract and thus inhibits its absorption
d)It enhances excretion of bile leading to increased cholesterol turnover

Dietary fiber consists of the indigestible component of plant-based foods. As it passes through the digestive tract, it cleanses the system and provides a number of health benefits. Dietary fiber is divided into two types: insoluble and soluble fiber, both of which are present in most plant foods.

While insoluble fiber absorbs water, resulting in bulkier, softer stool, soluble fiber ferments in the large intestine, producing short-chain fatty acids that significantly contribute to overall health. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) has suggested that adults consume at least 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day depending on caloric intake, while the British Nutrition Foundation recommends at least 12 to 24 grams a day. Most North Americans consume less than 50% of the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber.

Some of the world’s most serious health threats may be preventable through the regular consumption of appropriate levels of soluble fiber, including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and its associated complications, diabetes, obesity, and many gastrointestinal disorders. Soluble fiber may also help prevent cancer, particularly colon cancer.

The short-chain fatty acids produced through the fermentation of soluble fiber in the large intestine serve to stabilize blood glucose levels, lower low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol in the blood, increase the production of immune cells, and promote colon health. Soluble fiber prevents the formation of intestinal polyps or inflammation by maintaining a healthy pH in the intestine, aids in the absorption of certain minerals, and increases the production of helpful bacteria in the colon.

Soluble fiber is present in all plant foods to some degree. Especially good sources of the nutrient include beans and other legumes, whole grains, and certain fruits and vegetables. Root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots are an excellent source, and the skins contain insoluble fiber. Broccoli, bananas, apples, and berries are also good sources of soluble fiber. Some good grain choices are barley, oats, and rye. If you find it difficult to get the recommended daily amount of soluble fiber through your diet, there is a wide variety of fiber supplements on the market, many of which should be available at your local grocery or drug store.

Diet Tips : Lower Cholesterol by Eating
diet to lower cholesterol
diet to lower 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. Let’s explore these.

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 natural cholesterol reducing remedies if needed. Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good cholesterol) and decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol levels) in a meaningful and sustainable way.

About the Author:

Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years
experience in the field.
Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at
Purchase Remedies.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.comSample Diet For Lowering Cholesterol

How is soluble fiber in the diet thought to help lower blood cholesterol level?

a)It denatures cholesterol in the stomach
b) It hydrolyzes cholesterol in the intestinal tract
c)It traps cholesterol in the intestinal tract and thus inhibits its absorption
d)It enhances excretion of bile leading to increased cholesterol turnover

Dietary fiber consists of the indigestible component of plant-based foods. As it passes through the digestive tract, it cleanses the system and provides a number of health benefits. Dietary fiber is divided into two types: insoluble and soluble fiber, both of which are present in most plant foods.

While insoluble fiber absorbs water, resulting in bulkier, softer stool, soluble fiber ferments in the large intestine, producing short-chain fatty acids that significantly contribute to overall health. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) has suggested that adults consume at least 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day depending on caloric intake, while the British Nutrition Foundation recommends at least 12 to 24 grams a day. Most North Americans consume less than 50% of the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber.

Some of the world’s most serious health threats may be preventable through the regular consumption of appropriate levels of soluble fiber, including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and its associated complications, diabetes, obesity, and many gastrointestinal disorders. Soluble fiber may also help prevent cancer, particularly colon cancer.

The short-chain fatty acids produced through the fermentation of soluble fiber in the large intestine serve to stabilize blood glucose levels, lower low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol in the blood, increase the production of immune cells, and promote colon health. Soluble fiber prevents the formation of intestinal polyps or inflammation by maintaining a healthy pH in the intestine, aids in the absorption of certain minerals, and increases the production of helpful bacteria in the colon.

Soluble fiber is present in all plant foods to some degree. Especially good sources of the nutrient include beans and other legumes, whole grains, and certain fruits and vegetables. Root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots are an excellent source, and the skins contain insoluble fiber. Broccoli, bananas, apples, and berries are also good sources of soluble fiber. Some good grain choices are barley, oats, and rye. If you find it difficult to get the recommended daily amount of soluble fiber through your diet, there is a wide variety of fiber supplements on the market, many of which should be available at your local grocery or drug store.

diet to lower cholesterol
diet to lower cholesterol

With increasing numbers of people suffering from unhealthy cholesterol levels, it is vital to return the balance and avoid a premature death. Here is a list of the foods that any good diet to lower cholesterol should contain along with a few that you wouldn’t expect but which are essential for a successful outcome.

As your mother may have said to you – eat your fruit and vegetables! These contain no cholesterol at all and lots of fiber and vitamins to lower your LDL (bad) levels.

Of these blueberries and garlic are among the most effective and oatmeal, nuts like almonds and walnuts and fatty fish have all been shown to help.

The best fish are high in omega 3 fatty acids, especially DHA and have a wealth of other benefits too. Because of the contamination they contain, experts recommend a distilled supplement today to ensure you don’t ingest any of the toxins.

If you can cut down on fast food, saturated fats like margarines and snacks like potato chips and pastries then it will help to reduce your dangerous levels further.

The main point to remember is that only 20% of your cholesterol comes from your diet with the remaining 80% coming from the liver. So to have an impact you need the right ingredients to tackle this.

Nature as always has the answer in the form of extracts proven to reduce the bad LDL levels and at the same time increase the good HDL ones. While LDL can lead to heart attacks and disease, HDL helps to clean up the excess LDL and return it to the liver.

Getting the right balance between these two is the most important factor to consider with a good ratio being 3:1 LDL to HDL as a guide.

The best nutrients are Policosanol from sugar cane, Ric Bran oil, Phytosterols from plants, D-Limonene from orange rinds and Theaflavins from fermenting green tea.

These will reduce the production of bad cholesterol and reduce absorption while increasing the good levels to help protect you. They also help to improve your general health and well-being too with an improved immune system and protection from many cancers as an additional benefit.

As you can see there is more to maintaining healthy levels than meets the eye! However, if you follow a good diet to lower cholesterol and add the nutrients in the form of a supplement, you can achieve a healthy and natural balance.

 If you would like to learn more about the high quality cholesterol balancing supplements I personally take, visit my website below today.

About the Author:

Discover the best natural cholesterol balancing supplements today.

Reuben Hopkins is a dedicated researcher of nutrition, diet and the amazing health benefits of natural cholesterol balancing supplements. Take a moment to visit his site now at http://www.balanced-cholesterol.com and discover the latest supplements he recommends after extensive research.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.comWhat a Diet to Lower Cholesterol Should Contain

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Diet Tips : Lower Cholesterol by Eating

Categories: Diet