Lowering LDL Cholesterol - 3 Simple Effective Healthy-Diet-Strategies to Fight High Cholesterol

High blood cholesterol levels are a very common problem in our time. It might not sound very threatening, but high cholesterol can lead to very serious illnesses. Harmful cholesterol slowly but steadily closes up the arteries, blocking the blood flow and thus increasing your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. You would like to decrease that risk by lowering your cholesterol? Then you should follow the three simple strategies below!

Eat less high cholesterol foods.
Eat less foods high in saturated fat.
Increase your intake of foods high in fiber and other happinesslifetime.com cholesterol lowering foods.

Strategy #1: Eating less high cholesterol foods

Cholesterol is mainly found in animal products, like:

eggs
meat (especially beef)
poultry
fish
higher fat dairy products (e.g. milk, cheese, cream)

Prepared foods are also often high in cholesterol, for example:

processed foods
pastry
cookies and muffins

You should therefore limit your intake of these foods. Experts recommend a daily limit of 300 mg cholesterol per day.

Strategy #2: Eating less foods high in saturated fat

Just as cholesterol, saturated fat is mainly found in animal products as the ones listed above. Our modern diet contains way too much saturated fat, and our body produces harmful cholesterol from these fats. So, simply eating cholesterol free foods is not necessarily the solution. Foods low in cholesterol can still raise your blood cholesterol level if they are high in saturated fat. Food that contains cholesterol but also polyunsaturated or unsaturated fats, on the other hand, won't be so bad, as these fats decrease the production of harmful cholesterol and enhance the production of protective cholesterol which cleans the arteries from plaque.

Note that "fat reduced" products still contain up to three quarter the amount of fat of their full fat version. "Low fat" and "low cholesterol" foods contain smaller amounts of these nutrients, but they do contain them. Even fat or cholesterol "free" products contain very small amounts and are not really "free".

Strategy #3: Increasing your intake of foods high in fiber and other happinesslifetime.com cholesterol lowering foods

Fiber draws cholesterol out of your body, like a sponge. Food groups low in cholesterol or even cholesterol-free are:

fruits
vegetables (especially green leafy ones)
legumes
whole grain products

Specific foods that greatly help to lower cholesterol are:

green salad
avocado
quaker oats
barley
extra virgin olive oil

The best advice to give you if you want to lower cholesterol is to not only reduce your cholesterol intake but also the amount of saturated fat you eat. As we produce four times more cholesterol from saturated fats than the amount of dietary cholesterol we consume, these are our worst enemy in the fight against high cholesterol. Additionally, you should eat more high fiber foods. If your cholesterol still remains high, don't hesitate to consult your GP. Maybe a cholesterol lowering supplement can help you.

Bettina Berlin is a health professional specializing in healthy nutrition and quick cooking. Eating healthy and thus maintaining a healthy weight can significantly improve your health and help prevent many diseases. Is your life so hectic that preparing healthy food often seems impossible? Then visit elishas-quick-recipes.blogspot.com elishas-quick-recipes.blogspot.com TODAY and get your FREE fast cooking tips and much delicious elishas-quick-recipes.blogspot.com quick easy recipes!