cholesterol free foods and

What Is A Cholesterol Free Diet And Is It Good For Me?

Author: Gloria Gangi

Cholesterol has been a hot topic in the past ten years. People draw conclusions that if you have cholesterol you have a poor diet and have poor health, people also want to get rid of cholesterol without understanding what it is or how it affects your body.

People need to learn that there are in fact two types of cholesterol bad cholesterol (known as low density or LDL) and good cholesterol (known as high density or HDL). People do not realize that cholesterol is an essential substance in the human body but it depends on the levels that you have. If you were to choose a cholesterol free diet it could be very harmful to your wellbeing, HDL cholesterol are really extremely vital to certain bodily functions such as constructing and repairing cell walls. New research shows and even suggests that HDL cholesterol acts as a crude antioxidant.

You do not need to have a cholesterol free diet if there have been signs you or your family have had a history of heart problems or cardiovascular disease. Instead, understand what bad cholesterol you need to avoid and maintain the beneficial cholesterol in your diet. LDL cholesterol can certainly be challenging, as it has been associated with heart attacks as well as strokes, but it doesn't require a lot of effort to methodically eliminate it from your diet. Instead of trying to keeping away from cholesterol overall, steer clear of a cholesterol free diet and as a substitute look for foods that are low in LDL cholesterol and high in HDL cholesterol.

Is A Cholesterol Free Diet The Best Choice?


To find foods which are good for your health is not as hard a task as you may think as long as you know what you are looking for. Foods such as lean meat and fish are both good meat choices, and are also high in protein. Also choose low-fat dairy products and be sure to keep up with your grains, vegetable and fruit intake. A good diet to control or reduce your cholesterol would be around six servings of grains each day, three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruits.

This diet is not a hard one to follow and if your keep this strategy in place when shopping then you will be avoiding the products which contain the harmful LDL cholesterol. Remember to reduce your fat in take especially fats that have saturated fat as they tend to raise blood cholesterol levels. Avoid eating fried foods as well, choosing grilled, broiled and baked foods as a healthy alternative.

So the question of what is a cholesterol free diet and is it good for me is answered. A cholesterol free diet may not be the right decision if you want to keep your heart and body strong. By simply choosing a balanced diet will help you to weed out the bad cholesterol and keep the good cholesterol.

About the Author:

for more articles on cholesterol and how to reduce and control it please visit: http://www.yourcholesteroldiet.com/

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - What Is A Cholesterol Free Diet And Is It Good For Me?

LDL Cholesterol Foods

High Cholesterol Foods To Avoid

Author: Andrew Bicknell

For those who suffer from high cholesterol the best and first way to control and lower their cholesterol levels is through their diet. But many people are confused as to what constitutes a high cholesterol food they need to avoid and a low cholesterol food. This is because there is a difference between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol.

Generally most health guidelines recommend that dietary cholesterol not exceed 300 mg per day for most healthy people, but if one suffers from high LDL blood cholesterol levels then this intake should be not more than 200 mg per day.

Cholesterol, a waxy like substance, is only found in animal meat and tissues and its sources include red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, and dairy products. On the flip side any food derived from plant sources is cholesterol free, including high fat plants food sources such as avocado\'s and peanut butter. This is where the confusion usually happens because eating large amounts of vegetable oil, which is virtually 100% food fat, can significantly raise blood cholesterol levels, particularly when eaten with high cholesterol foods.

The fact is that blood LDL cholesterol levels are highly influenced by the amount of saturated fat that one eats. There is a relationship between the amounts of saturated fat one eats the LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. For every one percent increase in calories obtained by eating saturated fat, blood cholesterol levels go up around two percent. Conversely for every one percent decrease in saturated fat intake cholesterol levels will reduce about two percent.

The thing to remember when it comes avoiding high cholesterol foods is that while doing so will decrease LDL cholesterol levels, reducing saturated fat intake has a bigger impact on these levels then many people are aware of. This does not mean that those who suffer from high cholesterol can eat high cholesterol foods, but they should be aware that there is more to reducing cholesterol then just this one thing.

The reason for this confusion with the way cholesterol can increase in the blood stream is the way many foods are cooked and/or served. Let\'s look at one of everyone\'s favorite breakfasts; bacon/sausage and eggs. We all know that eggs are high in cholesterol, but what we don\'t know is that the cholesterol in eggs has a small impact on blood cholesterol levels. It\'s the high amount of saturated fat in the bacon or sausage that has a far larger impact on LDL cholesterol levels.

Another culprit is deep fat fried foods. Many foods are for the most part harmless until they are breaded and fried in hot oil. In fact, many fish and seafood choices are considered to be good for us because of the omega-3 fatty acids that they contain, but as soon as they are deep fried and eaten any benefits are cancelled by the saturated fat that raises bad LDL cholesterol.

When it comes to high cholesterol foods to avoid it is important to remember that these types of food aren\'t necessarily bad in and of themselves if eaten in moderation. The real problem occurs when they are combined with high levels of saturated fat, which has a more profound effect on blood cholesterol levels.

About the Author:

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

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - High Cholesterol Foods To Avoid

HDL Cholesterol Foods

Discover How to Raise Hdl Cholesterol Levels?

Author: Bretislav Slansky

There are many ways to increase HDL cholesterol levels.


Obviously you can take drugs that increase the HDL levels like niacin. That can increase HDL cholesterol up to 33%.


I do not personally like any of the FDA approved drugs and medication. The reason is, they always have some cholesterol medicine side effects that will harm your body.


For example: Pfizer's Torcetrapib that was supposed to raise HDL cholesterol levels was taken of the market. You know why? Simple. Many people had big cholesterol drug side effects.


Fortunately there are more natural ways to raise HDL cholesterol levels.

The most effective and safest way is to change eating habits and lifestyle.

Easier said that done, right?

In that case I am going to ask you a question. "How much is your health and well-being important to you?"


If you are like me, I always find ways for improvement. I guess I love myself very much - and you should love yourself also.


Lifestyle Changes To Raise Your HDL Cholesterol Levels


Quit Smoking: I know you have heard it so many times. I know how you feel if you smoke. The fact is that smoking will clot your blood. That will of course slower blood flow to your brain and body. In this environment, un-used cholesterol will have better change to stick to your arterial walls and...cardiovascular disease is on its way. You should either ask your doctor about quitting smoking or research different methods. Later decide which one will work for you.


Exercise Regularly:Many studies have shown that regular exercise increased HDL - Good Cholesterol up to 9%. Hey you do not need to start breaking world records. Starts 20-30 minutes a day. Simple walking will do fine. Later you can start lifting weights, do some cardio and relaxation methods like Tai Chi or Yoga.


Get On Healthy Weight Management:If you are overweight or if you just want to eat healthy, there are countless methods of eating healthy. Many diet lower your LDL "Bad Cholesterol" and many will raise HDL Cholesterol. Here you can find foods that lower LDL cholesterol and also I am going to show you foods that are high in cholesterol - the bad foods.


Understand The Food Label And Which Fat Is Good And Which Fat Is Bad: Many our foods we buy actually contain bad fats like margarines, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Basically you do not need saturated fats. Choose monounsaturated fats like olives. Eat fish oil which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, nuts or oat bran.



Start Good Nutritional Supplementation Program: There are many natural supplements that will help you to manage cholesterol and other health related needs. Most well known natural supplements are garlic, omega-3 fish oils, niacin and fiber supplements.



A warning note: The statements on this web site have not been evaluated by the Food And Drug Administration. The information is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.


Click here for more cholesterol lowering information and advice. And start changing your lifestyle today.


About the Author:

Brett Slansky has more than 17 years of experience in health and fitness industry. Visit his website for additional information and possible questions at http://www.lowering-cholesterol-info.com/

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Discover How to Raise Hdl Cholesterol Levels?