Diet to lower cholesterol
What a Person Can Eat and Not-Eat to Lower Their Cholesterol Levels
When a person has a high blood cholesterol level that person is highly at risk for death, especially if their high blood cholesterol level is due to low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Having a high blood cholesterol level is considered to be caused by the plaque building up in the arteries, and impeding the blood flow to vital organs like the brain, kidneys, and heart. This can lead to mental impairment and high blood pressure. Therefore, it is important for a person, if they have high cholesterol levels, to go on a low cholesterol diet.
Nonetheless, cholesterol is essential to every cell structure and is needed for good brain and nerve function. Cholesterol is created in the liver and then transported to where it needs to be via the bloodstream. However, the factor that effects cholesterol levels the most is a person’s diet.
Here are some easy suggestions and tips, a person with high cholesterol can do in order to lower their overall cholesterol level with their diet.
First, a person must include within their diet cholesterol-lowering foods like apples, bananas, cold-water fish, dried beans, garlic, carrots, and grapefruit.
Next, a person who wants to go on a low cholesterol diet needs to take in plenty of fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grain. Having a water-soluble dietary fiber is extremely important because it will help in reducing serum cholesterol levels. This is found in barley, oats, brown rice, Glucomannan, guar gum, and other fruits. However, since fiber can absorb the minerals from other foods, it is very important to take extra mineral supplements as well.
Another thing a person can do when they go on a low cholesterol diet is to drink a lot of fresh juices, especially fresh juices make from carrot, celery, and beets. These juices help flush out the fat from the bile in the liver, and it will help in lowering cholesterol levels over all.
However, there are some restrictions a person on a low cholesterol diet must consider. When going on a low cholesterol diet, a person should not eat any nuts except raw and unsalted walnuts and almonds. Only these two nuts contain the rich amino acid arginine, and it is this amino acid that studies have shown to help cut cholesterol levels by nearly sixteen points in a four-week period.
Another thing a person cannot do while on the low cholesterol diet is to eat any saturated fat. Saturated fats are fats that are animal in origin. All hydrogenated fats and hardened fats like butter, lard, and/or margarine should also be eliminated.
Also, a person should not consume any alcohol, cakes, carbonated drinks, candy, coffee, gravies, nondairy creamers, pies, processed or refined foods, refined carbohydrates, tea, tobacco, or white bread while on this diet.