Should your doctor decide that it is time to check your cholesterol, he or she will send you for a blood test, and then wait for the results of the cholesterol test to be reported. Plan to spend a few minutes discussing these numbers with your doctor, asking about how you can improve them if that is in fact needed, and find out what your risk is for heart disease.
If your cholesterol numbers are not in the optimal range, your doctor may recommend that you take prescription drugs to help get your cholesterol numbers under control as soon as possible. If you do not do this it could lead to strokes, so take seriously the medical advice you are given.
Now, if your numbers are reasonable, your doctor may just encourage you to improve your diet, switching to one that is low cholesterol, and does not contain many high cholesterol foods regularly.
Once you are aware of the foods that are good and bad for you, then switching to good foods should not be a problem, especially since you know that once you are eating better, your heart health is going to be improving, and your risk of heart problems will be decreasing.
This is precisely what you need, a healthy heart. But along with the low cholesterol diet, you should also be exercising, may be four days a week going for a brisk 30 minute walk, as this will help your fitness level, and your general health.
So, if you are to eat foods that are low in cholesterol , what does that mean you will be consuming, and what foods should you not eat? It is necessary to avoid an excess of animal products, this means red meats should be eaten in moderation, with only the leanest cuts of meat being considered. Egg yolks are also high in cholesterol, but the egg whites are fine, so think about moving over to egg white products rather than complete eggs.
Butter is not recommended, as it is an animal product, so if you still want to in oil, think about using olive oil, especially virgin olive oil. This is less processed than light olive oil which is so called just because it is lighter in color, not lighter in calories.
Oat bran and oatmeal is good for you to eat, and is a great way to start your day. It gives your body soluble fibre, which is also found in apples, pears and barley.
Legumes, such as dried peas, dried beans and lentils are good for you, because not only do they provide you with soluble fibre, but they also contain non-animal protein, which is good for the growth of tendons and muscles, as well as good for internal organs, blood, hair and bones, too.
There are obviously many more foods that could be mentioned for a low cholesterol diet, but I am running out of space here. What is important is to start bringing down your cholesterol now, so that you are at lower risk of heart attacks or strokes. But of course, this is entirely up to you, lower your cholesterol now, or have the threat of heart attacks and strokes in your future.
Tags: calories, cholesterol, high cholesterol foods, low cholesterol foods, low fat diets, recipes