Diets for High Cholesterol Can Save Your Life

Being health conscious is more important now than ever before. When you neglect your body by eating high fat foods and not exercising you run the risk of a whole host of health issues, including obesity and heart disease. Many people don’t pay any attention to what they eat until their doctor tells them their cholesterol level is too high. In most cases, if it’s only moderately high the physician will suggest one of the diets for high cholesterol. If it’s alarmingly high, medication may also be prescribed to lower it quickly.

One reason people are a little standoffish about the medications used to lower your bad cholesterol is because some of them are allegedly causing liver damage. This is why your doctor may simply tell you to change the way you eat. A diet to lower cholesterol can be really effective if the person is serious and sticks to it. Although you’ll have to change the way you view food, and give up certain foods, the benefits are well worth it.

Common sense plays a big part in healthy meal planning. If you’re trying to get in better shape, there are many fatty foods that you need to avoid. Diets for high cholesterol suggest staying away from things like red meat and heavy cream sauces. Eggs are also another source of cholesterol so be sure to limit the number you eat each week. If you want bacon with those eggs, your best bet is to opt for the turkey or chicken variety.

Whole grain foods are something you’ll need to get used to when you want to follow a meal plan like this. They have a positive impact on cholesterol in a short period of time. It’s easy to make the change to whole grains and many of the diets for high cholesterol suggest eating whole grain cereals and making sandwiches from seven grain bread. If you haven’t yet tried these products you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how good they actually taste.

Fruits and vegetables are really the staple of any diet that is designed for optimum health. You should really try and add at least one serving to each of your meals and turn to this food group when you are searching for a snack too. Fruit flavored yogurt is also found in many diets for high cholesterol but do be careful to avoid any that are sweetened with sugar.

Drink a lot of water each day. This is a good rule of thumb for everyone. If you get tired of plain water, try adding a little juice of lemon or lime to it. That brightens it up and gives it a cool, refreshing flavor. Red wine is the alcohol of choice included in some heart healthy diets but it does need to be consumed in moderation.

Once you adjust your palate and become accustomed to your new way of eating, you’ll never want to switch back to the French fries and burgers that used to sustain you. In addition to having a safe cholesterol level, you’ll also be slim and trim.