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Cholesterol Diet

Genetics, diet, weight, or some or all of these factors can cause high blood cholesterol. For whatever reason you may end up with a high blood cholesterol count, changing and/or monitoring your diet can help bring about positive changes.

If you've been told that you have high blood cholesterol, your doctor will want to discuss with you the various ways that you can reduce it. These may include medication, exercise, weight loss, and almost always, a special diet. A low cholesterol diet is not only designed to help a person lose weight - a person who is normal weight can have high cholesterol. What a cholesterol diet does is restrict certain foods that can raise blood cholesterol levels, and introduce other foods that can help lower blood cholesterol levels.

The first thing you'll need to do is cut down on the total amount of fat in your daily diet. This will help cut down on saturated fat, which is the major culprit in raising blood cholesterol. Cutting down the total amount of fat in your diet can also help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight. Saturated fats are found in the highest concentration in animal products such as beef, pork, poultry, fish, whole milk, cheese, and anything that contains cream. This doesn't mean that on a low cholesterol diet you have to cut out all these food altogether - doing that could rob you of essential nutrients that these foods have to offer. The best thing to do is to choose leaner cuts of meat, poultry and fish, and low to non-fat versions of milk and cheese. Choose low-fat or non-fat ice cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, etc. Fortunately there are low or non-fat versions of just about all animal products. Beef and some cuts of pork are higher in saturated fat than white-meat poultry and fish, so it is wise to keep beef consumption down and increase your consumption of white-meat poultry and fish.

When it comes to fats, some are significantly better to use in your diet than others. In moderate amounts, polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats can actually help lower blood cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats are found in sunflower oil, safflower oil, and sesame oil, just to name a few. Fatty fish and shellfish also contain more polyunsaturated fats than saturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are found in olive oil and canola oil.

One of the best things you can do is increase your consumption of high-fiber fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. Soluble fibre, found in foods such as oatmeal, beans, and citrus fruits can help lower blood cholesterol. Insoluble fiber, found in foods such as whole-wheat bread, cabbage, and cauliflower has not been proven to lower blood cholesterol, but should still be included in your diet as they are low in fat and help the digestive process.

Work with your doctor to create a low cholesterol diet that is right for you, and find a book, pamphlet, or even an online source that will list the fat, cholesterol, and fiber content of the foods you eat. Soon you'll be an expert in choosing the right foods and eating a low cholesterol diet. The benefits to your health will become increasingly apparent!