A Survival Guide For Diet Choices to Lower Cholesterol

High cholesterol and high blood pressure are major health concerns that can both be brought on by poor eating habits or hereditary conditions. We are constantly being reminded about what we should eat and what we shouldn't eat. But there are so many different food choices that it can be difficult to know how to find the right diet food to help lower cholesterol.

It helps a little bit to understand exactly what cholesterol is. It's a lipid, or essentially a type of fat, that circulates in your system and is produced by your liver. Your body needs it for bile acids, hormone production and vitamin transport. It can also be ingested directly in food.

There are several different types of cholesterol including both high and low density lipoproteins as well as triglycerides (blood fat) and finally very low density lipoproteins. Of these types of cholesterol, there are two that we are most concerned with and they are the two types that our doctor will report. These are LDL or bad cholesterol and HDL or good cholesterol.

You want your LDL (low density lipoprotein) to go down if you have a cholesterol problem. You want to reduce it in your system. Conversely, you want your HDL (high density lipoprotein) to go up if you have a cholesterol problem. You want lots of the good stuff in your system. These two measures together form your cholesterol score.

So how can your diet help to lower you cholesterol? Well, outside of medication, it can have the single largest impact on your cholesterol levels! Just knowing what to eat and what to avoid is the key to taking control of your situation.

Whole Grains and Fiber

Whole grain cereals, such as oats and oatmeal for example, have an lot of soluble fiber in them. Soluble fiber is not that easy for your system to breakdown and digest. In addition to that, it has the capability of binding to bile and taking it along for the ride. Why does this matter? Because essentially what's happening is the fiber is grabbing the bad cholesterol from your diet and taking it out of the body with it. Your body doesn't get a chance to digest it and that naturally brings your cholesterol down.

Almonds

These tasty little treats and great cholesterol busters also. They also are great for your blood vessels and arteries. Be careful though, too much of a good thing will simply lead to obesity and thus remove any positive benefit. A handful a day is whats required.

Blueberries and Garlic

Blueberries are very efficient at reducing cholesterol via a chemical compound known as pterostilbene. Besides being tasty, blueberries are also full of vitamins and antioxidants. Grapes share this same chemical compound and have many of the same benefits

Garlic is known to have blood thinning properties. Certain garlic supplements are actually regulated as a drug in some European countries(Germany) which goes to show how powerful it can be. It is certainly an effective weapon the fight against high cholesterol scores.

If you are experimenting with different diets to lower cholesterol then these foods should be on the top of your list. These foods have the side benefit of being very tasty as well so start eating them today and everyday to make a healthful long lasting impact.

Peter Jones writes about lowering your cholesterol through diet. For more information on dietfoodlowercholesterol.com/diets-to-lower-cholesterol diets to lower cholesterol
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