If you have found out from your doctor or from doing home cholesterol test that you have a high total cholesterol level, one of the first things you need to do is to change your diet to a low cholesterol diet to help you lower your cholesterol. This is because a high cholesterol level is very dangerous for you and might cause you serious heart diseases or even a heart attack.
A low cholesterol diet does not have to be hard to stick to, as you can still enjoy some of the foods you always like. However, you really need to stay away from foods that contain saturated or trans fats, as they are among the major leading causes to having a high cholesterol level.
To have a low cholesterol diet means that you should replace the saturated fat in your diet with unsaturated fat besides eating less high-cholesterol food and choosing foods that are high in complex carbohydrates. You should also make sure that you get more physical activity and try reducing your weight if you are overweight.
Determining What is Low Cholesterol Food and What Isn't
Before starting on a low cholesterol level, you should first know what low cholesterol food is and what isn't. This will help you create a diet which is low in cholesterol to help you lower your total cholesterol levels. There are many different types of food that can be classified as low cholesterol foods, so that you do not need to give all the food you love to have a low cholesterol diet.
Cholesterol is most usually found in foods of animal origin, such as meat, poultry, and eggs, including milk and cheese. In animals, cholesterol is part of the cell membrane structure of all cells. That is why removing the skin from a chicken will remove most of the fat, but will not remove all the cholesterol.
However, in dairy foods the amount of cholesterol involved depends on the amount of fat as milk is secreted from animal cells and not made up of cells like meat. Although it has no cholesterol-containing cell membranes, but because cholesterol is fat soluble, it can b found in fats in milk and milk-based foods. That is why if a dairy product contains more fat, it will also contain more cholesterol, so always choose low fat dairy products when sticking to a low cholesterol diet.
Converting To A Low Cholesterol Recipe
If you found out that you have high cholesterol, you must start converting some of foods you love to a low cholesterol version. You must also learn to live without some of the foods that have been causing you to get a high cholesterol level in the first place. Learning how to make your foods using a low cholesterol recipe is one way to lower your cholesterol levels
Converting your food to a low cholesterol recipe is not a very difficult thing to do. All you need is a little bit of willpower and you can start enjoying cholesterol free or lower cholesterol version of your favorite foods. The taste will not differ much as long as you know how to add flavor into your cooking without using saturated fats and other harmful foods that contribute to more cholesterol problems.
The easiest way to get started on low cholesterol recipe is to start with one day's menu. You can include a safe amount of food fats into your diet at first so that you can ease the transition period from your normal food to the low cholesterol diet, and make this change easier on you.
A good way to start a low cholesterol diet with a low cholesterol recipe is trying a serving of oatmeal, honey, and an apple for breakfast. Mixing oats, fat free milk, and a little honey and chopped apple will make a great delicious cholesterol free breakfast. For lunch, you can follow up with a salmon and tomato sandwich with a side salad. For tasty salad dressing, you can try using lemon juice and black pepper as a low cholesterol option. For dinner, you can have stir-fried chicken breast, veggies, and some rice will make you enjoy your low cholesterol diet. You can also try using brown rice instead of white rice for a lower cholesterol diet.
Make changes one step at a time, and in no time you will start enjoying a healthier life with lower cholesterol level. These changes will prevent you from having heart diseases caused by your diet. You will soon find that you enjoy the low cholesterol food as much as or more than your previous high cholesterol food.
Sample Low Cholesterol Diet
A glazed donut and large cup of latte for breakfast; a double cheeseburger, mega-sized order of fries and a 20-ouce soda for lunch; and then a 12-ounce steak and a baked potato drowning in butter and sour cream for dinner. Oh, and don't forget the bag of potato chips and chocolate bar you had for a snack. Sound like a healthy diet to you? Of course not! But whether we want to admit it many of us do not eat a healthy diet. By changing just a few of your eating habits, however, we can both lower our cholesterol and improve our overall health.
Most people cringe when their doctor tells them they need to start eating a low cholesterol diet. While it is important to cut down on the cholesterol in your diet, you are not limited to eating just twigs and berries. A few minor changes in your diet can drastically cut the cholesterol you consume daily.
Instead of a donut and cup of coffee for breakfast, for instance, start your day with a glass of fruit juice and bowl of cereal. If you want to go more hard core than that, try eating oatmeal or shredded wheat. The high fiber content in these cereals is believed to help lower cholesterol. Other good breakfast choices are fruits or yogurt. These foods give your body the nutrients it needs to keep going throughout the day without all the fat and sugar of donuts and such.
Supper is often a challenging meal also because many of us are too worn out from our daily jobs to cook a healthy dinner. Even if you choose to eat out for dinner there are some healthy choices you can make here also. Instead of having a steak, choose grilled chicken or fish. These meats have less cholesterol than steaks or red meats. Also choose low fat butter and sour cream for your potato. You might even skip the potato altogether in favor of a salad or steamed vegetables.
Small changes can make a big difference when you are trying to lower your cholesterol. Don't try to make changes too quickly, however, as eating habits are difficult to break. Giving up all high fat foods all at once can be a shock to your system. It will be easier if you make small changes over time, you will see results both in your cholesterol and your health in general.
Both Cindy Heller & Julia Carmichael 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.
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