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[C623]Cholesterol Heart Healthy Diet

by Meri Raffetto Rd, Mer

1.Use the right fats: The good fats are found to preserve HDL (protective cholesterol) and lower LDL (Bad Cholesterol) levels. The good fats are found in foods such as olive, canola, and peanut oils as well as nuts, avocados and olives.

2.Decrease the Saturated Fats: These fats tend to increase the cholesterol made by your body. They can increase your total and LDL (Bad) cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are found in animal products such as dairy, poultry (especially the skin), meats, butter and cream based sauces and dressings. It is not necessary to omit these foods, just choose leaner options and have the higher fat foods once in awhile.

3.Remove all Trans Fats from your pantry! : Trans Fats are oils that have been hardened by the hydrogenation process, such as stick margarine and shortening used to make commercial baked goods, chips, and fast foods. Like saturated fats, these fats increase total blood cholesterol and LDL (Bad) cholesterol levels and may even lower HDL (Good) cholesterol levels. Food labels will be required to list the amount of Trans fats in a food product by 2006. Until then, if the ingredient list on the food label includes the term hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated, it contains Trans Fats. Avoid these products!

4.Increase Your Fiber! : Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol levels in the blood by binding to cholesterol in the intestine so it cannot be absorbed by the body. Good food sources of soluble fiber include beans and legumes, oranges, apples, prunes, broccoli, carrots, oat bran, oatmeal, and some cereals. Use whole grain products in place of their white counterparts. Eat at least 20-40 grams of fiber a day. (Most Americans only eat around 12 grams of fiber a day.)

5.Omega-3 Fatty Acids every day: Omega-3 Fatty Acids are essential fatty acids meaning we have to get them from our diet. These fatty acids may reduce the risk of blood clotting, decrease inflammation, lower triglyceride levels, normalize heart rhythms and improve the immune system. Consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids daily may reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death by 50-70%. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in: fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, lake trout, halibut, and sardines. Other sources include ground flax seeds, soybeans, canola oil, and walnuts.

6.Five To Eight Fruits and Vegetables a day: Eating fruits and vegetables can help to decrease your risk of heart disease, cancer, cataracts, and can help to lower blood pressure. Fruits and Vegetables are loaded in vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. The more fruits and veggies you eat, the more antioxidant activity in your body.
How do antioxidants work? Every day we are exposed to free radicals from our diets, sun, chemical exposure, pollution, etc. These free radicals promote the plaque build up in our arteries leading us to increased risk of heart disease. Antioxidants work by neutralizing these free radicals before they can cause damage to our bodies.

7.Folic Acid: High levels of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood have been associated with damage to the blood-vessel walls, increased blood clotting, and overall increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Folate is a B vitamin which has been shown to decrease these homocysteine levels in the blood. Good food sources of Folate include green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, beet greens, and chard as well as legumes, asparagus, broccoli, oranges, orange juice, whole and fortified grains, walnuts and peanuts.

8.Add some almonds! Studies show that eating an ounce of almonds a day can help to lower your cholesterol. A matter of fact, a recent study published in Journal of the American Medical Association found that eating a diet that included plant sterol margarine (such as Benecol or ProActiv), soy products, almonds and increase fiber was able to lower cholesterol levels as much as the statin drugs and in just 2 weeks time! Have an ounce of almonds as a snack, or sprinkle them in your cereal or salad.

9.Have a little soy: Soy has also been shown to lower cholesterol levels.
Using soy on a weekly basis is a great step towards protecting your heart. If you are not a tofu fan, try soy milk or yogurt, garden burgers, edamme (soy beans), or soy sausage patties. There are all kinds of ways to include soy in your diet!

Sample Heart Healthy Meal Makeover:

Sample day
Before:
Breakfast:
- glass of orange juice
- 2 fried eggs
- 3 slices of bacon
- 2 slices white bread with 3 tsp butter
Lunch:
- roast beef sandwich on white bread
- potato chips
Snack:
- 1 cup Cheez It crackers
Dinner:
- fried fish strips
- 1 cup mashed potatoes cooked w/whole milk and butter
- ½ cup corn

Diet make over:
Breakfast:
-glass of calcium fortified orange juice
- scrambled egg beaters
- 1-2 slices of whole grain bread with 1-2 tsp Benocol or ProActive spread
- 1-2 slices soy bacon or sausage links
Lunch:
-½ turkey, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sandwich
- 1 cup vegetable soup
- 8 oz vanilla non-fat yogurt with 1/3 cup of berries added
Snack:
1 ounce almonds
Dinner:
-3 ounces baked or broiled salmon
- ½ cup broiled red potatoes with olive oil
- ½ cup broccoli
- 1-2 cups of salad with cut up pears and toasted walnuts
with 1TB olive oil vinaigrette salad dressing

Results:
Day 1 = 2300 calories and 114 grams fat; 98 grams sat fat; 45% calories from fat
Day 2 = 1800 calories and 58 grams fat; 14 grams sat fat; 29% calories from fat.

Making small changes can go a long way to improve your heart health! What changes can you start making?

© Meri Raffetto, 2005

Let's discuss cholesterol and what it means to us. Cholesterol is a fatty wax like substance that goes through our bloodstream. It requires a water soluble protein transport carrier from the liver to all the necessary parts of our bodies, and then returning to the liver for breaking down and elimination. Combined protein and cholesterol, known as lipoproteins, can be HDL (high-density) or LDL (low-density).

HDL is referred to as "good cholesterol". This type is responsible for returning extra cholesterol not being used to the liver, ready for the breakdown process. This cholesterol type is good only because it enables the excess to be disposed of.

LDL works in a different way. LDL is responsible for transporting cholesterol to all the necessary organs and tissues in our body from the liver.

So what does all this mean to my cardiovascular system? LDL is the problem type of cholesterol when there is more than needed and HDL cannot remove it from our blood vessels and arteries. When the excess amount of cholesterol cannot be removed, it builds up into a plaque-like substance and it starts to clog the artery walls. When this happens, this leaves a lot of room for diseases. With our arteries clogged, there is no possible way we are giving the correct transport of blood to all of our essential organs.

Without a clean blood flow, there is a chance the arteries will become clogged which results in higher blood pressure and can drastically affect our health. With clogged arteries, we are open up to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, a heart attack, strokes and paralysis.

Now that we know the dangers of high cholesterol, how do we lower it to prevent diseases? A correct diet and regular exercise is an excellent place to start.

A proper diet is the first step to lowering or even preventing high cholesterol. There are foods that we eat everyday that are good for us, but some of the foods we love most can cause the most damaging.

Leafy green vegetables are a good source of nutrients to fight off diseases and to maintain a healthy protein level.

Such greens are broccoli, spinach and green beans. Lettuce is also good, although there are not nearly enough nutrients in just lettuce alone. One factor I want to mention when eating your vegetables is to chew your food well. In order to get the most out of our greens, we need to chew them really well, extracting the natural nutrients.

Switching to healthier cooking oils is another step towards lowering your cholesterol. Olive oil and walnut oil are the best cooking oils you can use.

Some other essential foods we can eat to help with cardiovascular disease are baked or grilled fish, fruits and berries and nuts; including walnuts, pecans and peanuts.

Avoiding certain types of food is another way to help lower cholesterol. Red meats and dairy products that have not been reduced of fat may be the first thing to take out of our diet. Although there is protein in these foods, too much of a good thing can be too much.

Adding whole grains to your diet has been known for years to help reduce high cholesterol. The benefits of whole grain are that it is a soluble fiber that will lower LDL (the bad one) and raise the good type of cholesterol, HDL. Oat bran and other whole grain foods are not the only source to

get a good amount of fiber into our bodies to lower LDL. Other sources of fiber include barley, beans and green peas.

Although there is almost no substitute to a proper diet, there are some excellent supplements on the market today that have proven results to lowering cholesterol.

Supplements, as in vitamins and minerals, can really help with cholesterol. Not everyone has the time or dedication to reduce cholesterol with a proper diet. When choosing a supplement, here are some of the ingredients to look for in a quality product targeted to lowering cholesterol.

One of the most known supplements is in the form of fish oils, called Omega-3 fatty acids. This is a stand alone supplement, yet it is in most of the cholesterol lowering supplements out there.

Vitamin B-6 and B-12 are also great supplements. Another proven B vitamin, Niacin, also reduces LDL and raises HDL. If you plan on taking this, take as directed as too much can cause damage to the liver.

Vitamin E is a simple vitamin that will not cause damage in excess. In some cases, just a little extra vitamin E can reduce cholesterol levels.

If you feel you might have high cholesterol, please consult your doctor for tests and before taking a supplement specifically for lowering cholesterol.

Article Source : Nutrition Diet

About Author

Both Meri Raffetto Rd & Steven A Johnson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Meri Raffetto Rd has sinced written about articles on various topics from Dieting, Fitness. Owner of Real Living Nutrition Services, Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She has developed two online weight management programs, The Mini Diet Makeover and The Ultimate Diet. Meri Raffetto Rd's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.

Steven A Johnson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Hoodia, Fibromyalgia and Osteoporosis. Steven Johnson is committed to helping people maintain healthy and effective lifestyles. For more information on a fiber rich diet and other health supplements please visit his website. Steven A Johnson's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.