Friday, April 04, 2008
Diet & Nutrition
Reduce the Risks of Heart Disease with Low Cholesterol Foods
You must have heard more then once how you should watch your cholesterol because it is the main cause of fatal diseases. Cholesterol is mainly produced by our body but can be found in many foods that we intake everyday; cholesterol is mainly found in the blood stream and it helps to produce cell membrane, tissues and several types of hormones. However, cholesterol in high quantities in the blood can clog the arteries, which can stop the flow to important parts of the body such as the heart resulting in heart attack. Here is how you can reduce the risks of a heart attack by making low cholesterol foods part of your daily diet.
The Good and the Bad Cholesterol
First and foremost you should know that there are two main types of cholesterol and they are: Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), which is known as the bad cholesterol and which we should work be contain in desired levels and there is the High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), which is also known as the good cholesterol because it helps eliminate the bad cholesterol from the blood thus, reducing the possibility of your arteries to clog.
The Cause of High Bad Cholesterol
Our liver produces cholesterol naturally and eliminates it as well but one of the main causes of high bad cholesterol is the food we eat everyday. Healthy diet and exercise have proved time and again that can keep you healthy by lowering your cholesterol and maintaining your slim figure.
The foods that contain high bad cholesterol are mainly those that derive from animals such as, seafood, poultry, fish, meat, egg yolk and diary products. Now, most of the foods listed are also recommended usually for healthy diets such as, fish, poultry, seafood, diary and eggs but, the difference is in the quantity you eat each day. It is extremely important you regulate the quantity of food both to control the cholesterol levels and your weight. Please note that even though most people that are overweight also have a cholesterol problem it does not mean that those who are slim and fit are excluded; unfortunately weight or age has no influence on your cholesterol levels but your diet does.
The Foods You Must Include In Your Daily Diet
You should try and include in your diet low cholesterol foods and some that help raise the level of the good cholesterol as well. Some low cholesterol foods are: cereals, fruits, vegetables and all those foods that contain unsaturated fat. Try as much as possible to add and replace your daily meals with healthy low cholesterol foods but at the same time ensure you have a balanced diet.
Talk to your doctor to find out what is your ideal cholesterol levels and what low cholesterol foods are best for your age, weight and present state of health. Keeping the bad cholesterol down and the good one up will ensure you a healthy and happy life with the minimum risks of heart diseases.