Food Pyramid Can Help Structure A Low Cholesterol Diet

Are you ready to improve your heart health and lower your cholesterol level? Then it's time to

starting thinking seriously about the foods you eat each day. If you're looking for a diet plan to

help you structure your happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet, the food pyramid is a great place to start. The United

States Department of Agriculture has refashioned the food pyramid of the past into the

MyPyramid plan which considers age, gender and amount of physical activity you get each day.

Still, this pyramid is a good way to know how much of each food group and what types of foods

you need to eat each day to be at your healthiest.

One of the food groups included in a happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet is made up of the grains you eat. You

should make sure that you eat three ounces of grains each day. Make sure that at least half of this

comes from whole grains. Whole grain products are those that contain the bran, germ and

endosperm of the grain. The other form of grains are refined grains. The process of refining

removes the grain and bran for a finer texture product, but also removes many of the nutritional

benefits of grains.

Food Group

Another food group that is important for good heart health is vegetables. You should eat 2-3 cups

of vegetables depending on your gender and age. Be sure to include more dark green and orange

vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, turnip greens, squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkins in your

diet. Dried beans and peas are also an important part of a happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet. Good choices

include black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans and black-eyed peas.

Fruits are another good food choice when trying to lower your cholesterol. Again, depending on

your age and gender, you should try to include 1&1/2 - 2 cups of fresh fruits in your diet each

day. Good fruit choices for your happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet include berries, melons, apples and juices

made of 100 percent fruit juice.

The next food group is one that you should avoid, or eat only sparingly. These are the oils and

fats, such as butter. Although we add these generously to our foods, it is healthier to skip them

altogether. Most people will get the recommended amounts of oils from the foods they eat. Good

sources of oils include fish, nuts and vegetable oils. You should only consume about 5-7

teaspoonfuls of oils each day. A final note, avoid oils that are solid at room temperature, such as

butter, because they contain saturated fats. Eating a diet high in saturated fats can raise your

cholesterol level and should not be included in your happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet.

Dairy Products

Dairy products are an important addition to your diet because they give you your needed daily

calcium which is good for strong bones. You should include 3 cups of milk, cheese or yogurt in

your diet each day. For good heart health and for your happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet, stick with low fat or

reduced fat dairy products.

Meats are another food group where you should watch what you eat carefully when you are

trying to eat a happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet. You should include 5-6 ounces of meat in your diet each day.

The best choices are fish, poultry, nuts and seeds. Eggs are also included in this group, but if you

want to lower your cholesterol level; you should limit the number of egg yolks you eat to 1 - 2

weekly. You should also grill your meats instead of frying them.

If your goal is to lower your cholesterol, try using the government's food pyramid as a guide for a

happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet. Then make low fat or fat-free choices to help you meet your goal.

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