Control Good and Bad Cholesterol With a Healthy Diet

Too many people ignore the fact that the food we eat today affects our health in both the long and short run. As you probably already know, many of the components of foods have an impact upon the development of coronary heart and other diseases. Although cholesterol is required for normal cell membrane function, high levels of it increases the risk of heart disease.

Various foods that you eat contribute to a high cholesterol level. The most common are saturated fats which are abundantly found in animal sources. Some plant sources like coconut and palm oils, and cocoa butter are also rich in saturated fats.

Other fats seem to lower cholesterol. Commonly called good cholesterol or High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), these polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats come mainly from plant sources. When HDLs are taken in place of saturated fats, bad cholesterol is lowered.

As mentioned, cholesterol is necessary to a healthy body. Your body naturally manufactures it to act as an insulator of nerve and brain tissue. In addition, it makes your skin almost waterproof while at the same time retarding evaporation of water from the body. It is only when cholesterol amounts become excessive that they become harmful and become bad cholesterol.

Now that you know these facts, the next step is to make some changes in your lifestyles to ensure that you have a healthy supply of good cholesterol while keeping the bad kind at bay.

Diet is the major key to controlling good and bad cholesterol. Changing some of your eating habits is vital in lowering the risk of heart disease and other ailments.

In order to reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet, decrease the amount of animal products such as whole eggs, lard, meat, butter, and other dairy products. In addition, avoid foods rich in sugar, hydrogenated oils and Trans-fat. Such changes will also help control calories.

Understandably, some find it difficult to cut back on favorite foods. However, there are ways for modifying your loved dishes with healthier substitutes. For most dairy products, there are low fat or fat free versions available in the market. You may use yogurt instead of cream, milk, dressings called for in most recipes. You can substitute skinless chicken, fish, or beans for protein sources instead of meat. The options are endless. Read labels to ensure that the substitutes you're using don't contain bad cholesterol.

To raise your levels of good cholesterol increase your intake of foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids like walnuts, flax seeds, tuna and other oily fish. Omega 3 has been scientifically proven to significantly lower incidences of heart disease. Also, add more soluble fiber in your diet. These are usually found in vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes. They soak up bad cholesterol and flush it out from your body.

Make sure you drink enough water daily to help process toxins and other wastes in your system. Aside from water, other liquids such as green tea and cranberry juice have good cholesterol boosting benefits as well. Green tea has antioxidants that help remove toxin-forming free radicals. While cranberry juice contains flavenoids that that can increase HDL levels by up to 10%. Grape wine also contains flavenoids, but of course, moderation must be practiced.

Unhealthy lifestyle is the main cause for obesity and heart related health problems. The your-cholesterol.org/good-and-bad-cholesterol.php bad cholesterol causes high cholesterol levels in our blood and can lead to heart attacks. On the other hand good cholesterol can help our body. Read more at our your-cholesterol.org/good-and-bad-cholesterol.php website NOW!