By Jack L Bloom
People who are diagnosed with high cholesterol levels should be careful of what they eat. This is because the cholesterol in their blood may shoot up to uncontrollable levels, causing severe damage to the arteries, heart, and other vital organs. If your doctor tells you that you have to lower your blood cholesterol, what he really means is that you should cut out on certain foods, more particularly on the fatty ones. You have to start eating healthy and living right to prevent further damage to your heart.
High cholesterol levels are present in 7 out of every 10 people over the age of 45. This means that a vast majority of our older adults are at high risk to have cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, angina and stroke. This alarming fact induced the National Cholesterol Education Program and American Heart Association in 2001 to release diet guidelines - the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Diet - for people afflicted with high cholesterol and who were at high risk for heart disease.
Generally speaking, the diet for people with high cholesterol boils down to foods that you can't eat and the foods that you should eat. This may mean that you have to totally change your eating habits. While this is inevitable, you have to do it because it's the only way to prevent the development of high risk diseases such as arteriosclerosis and coronary heart diseases.
Breakfast and Snacks Meal Suggestions
Oats or Oatmeal
Whole wheat bread
Whole grain corn
Fruits like banana or apples
Fresh fruit juice
If you have high cholesterol level, you have to eat foods rich in fiber like oats and whole grains. Fiber can dissolve the bad cholesterol in the blood. The carbohydrates in oats, wheat, and corn can also help keep your cholesterol level within manageable levels.
Fruits contain vitamins and minerals that everyone needs, especially people with high cholesterol levels. Most fruits are rich in Vitamin C that can help protect the body against diseases like cancer and atherosclerosis. Banana, for example, is rich in potassium that can regulate one's blood pressure.
Lunch and Dinner Meal Suggestions
Turkey, lean chicken, or fish
Vegetable salad
Fruits for dessert like mango, papaya, or orange
Carrot juice
White meat is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that is good for the heart. It helps improve blood fats and the amount of good cholesterol in the body. The essential fatty acids from fish such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel are necessary because the body doesn't produce them at all. They can only be obtained from the food that you eat.
Vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals. A vegetarian diet is going to be helpful for people with high cholesterol levels. A lot of vegetables contain fiber, beta carotene, and Vitamin K that promote the health of the blood, heart, and almost all internal organs.
People with high cholesterol should never consume trans fat, hydrogenated fats, saturated fats and dietary cholesterol. You can avoid all these by avoiding fatty foods such as donuts, French fries, and other meals cooked in oil or hard margarine. Also, salty and sweet foods should be avoided as well. Baked goods such as pastries, cakes, crackers, and cookies should be eaten in moderation. Unhealthy snacks and foods with too much shortening should also be removed from your diet.
Jack L Bloom is the owner of www.dietstepbystep.com. For more information about diet for cholesterol visit www.dietstepbystep.com/weight_loss/diet_for_high_cholesterol.aspx.
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