Friday, July 17, 2009

list of bad cholesterol foods

What Are High Cholesterol?

Author: Penny Albright

It should not come as a big surprise that the foods we love are very high in cholesterol. However, given that there is good and bad cholesterol, it is important to distinguish between the two. So as HDL is good and LDL is bad, it is very important to avoid or at least try to eat foods that are low in LDL cholesterol because too much can cause heart disease.

If you are reading this article, you have probably been told by your doctor or have personally decided to reduce your cholesterol levels. So, what are the high cholesterol foods that you should omit from your diet?

Firstly, there are two main ingredients that will raise your cholesterol levels:

Saturated fat - found in most animal products

LDL cholesterol - found in most animal products

Some sources of fat and bad cholesterol that are considered high cholesterol foods can include:

Meats

Nuts

Dairy foods

However, not all of them are bad. This is why it is important to monitor the saturated fat content in foods because the more there is, the harder the liver has to work to detoxify the body. Also, subsequent LDL cholesterol from bad fats will create plaque inside arteries, veins, and capillaries which can result in serious, if not deadly, cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks.

The following is a list of high cholesterol foods. They are listed according to food type, serving size, and cholesterol levels. If at all possible, try to eat something else, or choose lower fat versions of them:

Food Serving Size Cholesterol Level

Beef, kidney 3.5oz 375 mg

Beef, liver 3.5oz 300 mg

Beefsteak 3.5oz 70 mg

Boiled egg 1 225 mg

Butter 3.5oz 250 mg

Cheddar cheese 1oz 19 mg

Chicken 3.5oz 60 mg

Cream cheese 1oz 27 mg

Ice Cream 3.5oz 45 mg

Lamb 3.5oz 70 mg

Sponge cake 3.5oz 260 mg

Dietary Changes

This section will give you information on how to reduce cholesterol by changing your diet.

Many people suffer with high cholesterol because of the type of diet they follow. Eating foods which are high in saturated fat can cause high cholesterol. Our bodies need a certain amount of fat to function properly but we need to be careful what kind of fat we consume. The saturated fats that are found in meat products, whole fat milk, cheese and butter are the bad fats, as are trans fats or hydrogenated fats which are found in commercially produced cakes, cookies, pastries, fast food, coconut oil and palm oil.

It is good to know how to reduce cholesterol by simply changing the type of fat that you consume. Cut down on foods containing saturated fat or replace them with foods containing good fats like mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Mono-unsaturated fats are found in oils like rapeseed oil and olive oil and some nuts. Polyunsaturated fats are found in oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herrings and mackerel, and also some spreads. These types of fats are actually good for our hearts and cholesterol levels.

How to reduce cholesterol by changing your habits:-

- Stop using butter on your bread or in baking and instead use polyunsaturated spreads or olive oil.

- Fry foods with olive oil or avoid frying and grill, microwave or steam foods.

- Trim fat off meat or use lean cuts.

- Replace meat with soya products or cook more vegetarian meals.

- Buy low fat versions of your normal foods.

- Replace snacks like cakes and cookies with fruit and vegetable based snacks.

- Eat oily fish two or three times a week.

It is important to have no more than 200mg or less of cholesterol per day. The rest of any healthy diet should include fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes (peas, beans, lentils, etc.), whole grains and either 2% or no-fat milk. The American Heart Association recommends a calorie controlled version of the 'Mediterranean Diet'. This can be found in pyramid for through their website.

About the Author:
What are high cholesterol foods? Webmaster of mecholestrol.com Penny Albright is providing her viewers with facts and solutions, how to reduce high cholesterol. Simply by memorizing the list of high cholesterol food and avoid dangerous fat levels, you will notice a difference.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - What Are High Cholesterol?

Thursday, July 2, 2009

low cholesterol diet foods

The Best Low Cholesterol Diet Plan

Author: Jam

If you want to lower your cholesterol levels, following an ideal diet may be able to help you a lot. It has been known for a long time now that the food a person eats or is accustomed to eating daily can have a direct relation in the body's cholesterol levels.


And it is important for people to lower their cholesterol levels because cholesterol has been associated with the development of coronary heart disease. The higher the level of blood cholesterol levels in an individual, the more likely it is that he will be developing heart disease later on. Aside from that high cholesterol levels can also put a person at risk of suffering from a stroke or a heart attack.


Aside from using drugs to lower cholesterol levels, following a low cholesterol diet is the next best thing to keep your cholesterol levels down. Eating more vegetables, soy products and other low cholesterol foods can be just as effective at reducing blood cholesterol as medication. A study has been able to show that a vegetarian diet can lower cholesterol by as much as one-third in just a month.


The best cholesterol-lowering diet that you can follow usually includes a hearty serving of vegetables such as broccoli and red peppers. Soymilk and soy sausages, oat bran cereal and bread as well as plenty of fruits and nuts make up a complete low cholesterol diet. Soy protein, nuts, and fiber rich food such as oats and barley can effectively cut cholesterol levels by up to seven percent.


A low cholesterol diet also requires you to minimize your intake of saturated fat by seven percent and other fat substances by 25-35 percent. It has been discovered that the best diet for avoiding coronary heart disease includes consuming non-hydrogenated (unprocessed) fats rather than the hydrogenated variety. Increased consumption of omega-3 fats from fish, fish oil or plant sources such as flaxseeds is the suggested fat intake in a low cholesterol diet. With a low cholesterol diet, one should also limit daily sodium intake somewhere in the level of 2400 milligrams daily.


A typical day on the low cholesterol diet would include a hearty breakfast of soymilk, oat bran cereal with chopped fruit and almonds, oatmeal bread, vegetable-based margarine and jam. A typical low cholesterol lunch would comprise of soy cold cuts, oat bran bread, bean soup and a dessert of fruit. For dinner, stir-fry vegetables, tofu, fruit and almonds would be the usual low cholesterol diet fare. Following this type of low cholesterol diet religiously for long periods, it is possible for one's cholesterol level to drop by as much as 29 percent in just a month.

About the Author:

Jam is a postgraduate medical intern who loves to research and write about health, particularly about diabetes.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - The Best Low Cholesterol Diet Plan

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

reduce cholesterol foods

What Foods Reduce Cholesterol?

Author: Andrew Bicknell

Cholesterol is an important substance we all need for our body to function properly. But in this case to much of something is not a good thing and high levels of cholesterol can be dangerous to your long term health. If you have high cholesterol it is a good idea to lower it to more normal levels and the best way to do this is through diet.

So what foods reduce cholesterol?

The first thing you need to know is that all foods that come from animal sources contain cholesterol in them. Eggs, poultry, meat, seafood, and dairy products all contain it and eating them can contribute to raising cholesterol levels.

But more importantly when it comes to foods that lower cholesterol are foods that are high in Trans fats and saturated fats. In fact these two fats have been shown to increase blood cholesterol levels more then foods that contain it.

The daily limit for cholesterol as recommended by the American Heart Association is no more then 300 milligrams. By maintaining a healthy diet it is easy to keep your levels under control and your cardiovascular system healthy. Choosing healthy foods low in saturated and Trans fats is the first step to beating this problem. Also eating plenty of high fiber no cholesterol foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables is important.

Many people wonder if they need to cut out animal products all together. The answer is no but they should be eaten in moderation. Probably what is most important is how these foods are prepared. You should eat only lean cuts of meat and poultry and they should be baked, broiled, or grilled. Frying any food should be avoided at all costs because of the saturated and Trans fat used to fry foods are a known danger.

One food that is known to reduce cholesterol is seafood rich in Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Salmon is the best choice as it has one of the highest amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids of all seafood's. For those who don't like seafood or have limited access to seafood it can be bought in pill supplement form.

The key to finding foods reduce cholesterol is eating healthy. It's not really that hard but to prevent future health problems it is important to do so.

About the Author:

To learn more about Low Cholesterol Food please visit the website Lowering Cholesterol by clicking here.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - What Foods Reduce Cholesterol?