How To Approach A Diet to Lower Cholesterol

There are many clever diet plans aimed at lowering cholesterol, losing weight and improving health and vitality. Very often though, unless you have a very specific or acute problem, a good traditional commonsense diet is all that is really necessary. A good adage to keep in mind is "don't eat too much and eat mainly plants." If follow this and choose a nice wide variety of foods from the fruit, vegetable, grains and dairy groups you should be ok on the cholesterol counts and weight calculations.

Some foods fare better than others, so in order to weigh your diet in favour of lower cholesterol try including the following foods in your daily food plan:

1) Sweet Potato - has around half the calories of a normal white potato, yet will give you your daily requirement of vitamin A, provides fibre, and is low in cholesterol.

2) Avocado - a great tasting addition to many meals, sandwiches and salads this fruit is rich in monounsaturated fats and therefore useful in reducing LDL cholesterol while not compromising your HDL cholesterol levels. You just need to make sure you don't over-indulge as this will increase the calories.

3) Mackerel - along with the other oily fish such as tuna lake trout and salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids which are great for reducing cholesterol and is a nutricious, low calorie main item for a meal.

4) Onions - very low in calories, but full of anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients; they are also thought to be helpful in lowering cholesterol. Very versatile, they can be used as flavouring and ingredient in a vast array of meals. It is also thought that they may actually helpful in the prevention of cancer.

5) Raspberries - full of vitamins and fibre, these berries will add nothing to your cholesterol yet with say some plain yoghurt provide a sweet dessert which you can enjoy and still keep your calories to a minimum.

6) Watermelon - this simple fruit is much under-estimated. It is high in vitamins and anti-oxidants and contains a chemical called lycopene, which has been found to lower your risk of heart disease and cancer. Not only this, it is also delicious to eat and extremely low in calories.

7) Greek Yoghurt - also low in cholesterol and calories yet providing a healthy dose of protein, a cup of plain Greek yoghurt is a good, filling snack.

8) Quinoa - a grain that is higher than most in both fibre and protein. A quarter-cup measure providing three grams of fibre and six grams of protein. It is very effective in maintaining your blood-sugar levels meaning you will feel comfortably full for longer and not so likely to over-eat. You can add it to stews and soups or have it on its own, cooked with fresh herbs and olive oil, with a variety of vegetables on the side - healthy!

Nutrition expert Alan Christopher reveals how you can successfully manage and lower your cholesterol with more great information and advice on lowercholesterolfood.com/diets-to-lower-cholesterol diets to lower cholesterol.

You can find out more about foods for lower cholesterol by visiting lowercholesterolfood.com lowercholesterolfood.com, as well as obtain a completely FREE 10 part mini-course.