Should your doctor decide that it is time to check your cholesterol, he or she will send you for a blood test, and then wait for the cholesterol results and numbers to be reported. Plan to spend a little discussing these numbers with your doctor, asking about how you can improve them if that is in fact needed, and ask what your risk is for heart disease.
If your cholesterol numbers are not in the optimal range, your doctor may recommend that you take prescription medications to help get your cholesterol levels in a better range as soon as possible. Not doing this could lead to heart disease, so take seriously the medical advice you are given.
Now, if your numbers are acceptable, your doctor may just encourage you to improve your diet, switching to one that is low cholesterol, and hardly contains high cholesterol foods regularly.
Once you are aware of the foods that you should and should not be eating, then switching to good foods should be no difficulty, especially as you know that once you are eating better, your heart health will be improving, and your risk of heart problems will be decreasing.
This is precisely what you want, a strong heart. But along with the low cholesterol diet, you need to be exercising, may be every other day going for a brisk walk for about 30 minutes, as this will help your fitness level, and your overall health.
So, if you are to consume low cholesterol foods , what does that mean you will be consuming, and what foods should you not eat? It is good to avoid an excess of animal products, so things like red meats should be consumed in moderation, with only the leanest cuts of meat being considered. Egg yolks are also of high cholesterol, but the egg whites are good for you, so think about switching to egg white products rather than whole eggs.
Butter is not recommended, as it is an animal product, so if you still need to cook in oil, think about using olive oil, especially virgin olive oil. This is processed less than light olive oil which is so called just because it is lighter in color, not lighter in calories.
Oat meal and oat bran is a good food to eat, and is also a great breakfast food. It provides you with soluble fibre, which is also found in apples, pears and barley.
Pulses, or legumes, or dried peas, dried beans and lentils are good for you, because not only do they provide you with soluble fibre, but they also contain plant protein, which is good for the growth of tendons and muscles, as well as good for internal organs, blood, hair and bones, too.
There are obviously a lot more foods that could be mentioned for a diet of low cholesterol, but I am running out of space here. The important thing is to start lowering your cholesterol now, so that you are at lower risk of heart attacks or strokes. But of course, this is entirely up to you, lower your cholesterol now, or be at risk for strokes and heart attacks in your future.
Tags: calories, cholesterol, high cholesterol foods, low cholesterol foods, low fat diets, recipes
