Cholesterol

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Lowering Your Cholesterol Through Diet

By Jennifer Moll, About.com Guide to Cholesterol

High cholesterol is probably one of the most modifiable risk factors when it comes to heart disease. The good news is that by making a few simple adjustments to your everyday food consumption, you can help to lower your cholesterol. There are many ways to you can do this -- from following a cholesterol-lowering meal plan to adding a few foods that aid in lowering cholesterol -- there is a way to help make your diet lipid-friendly.

  1. Types of Cholesterol-Lowering Diets
  2. Watching Your Fat Intake
  3. Making the Right Diet Choices
  4. Cholesterol-Friendly, Heart-Healthy Foods
  5. Other Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Having High Cholesterol

Types of Cholesterol-Lowering Diets

South Beach, Mediterranean, Dean Ornish...there are many different diets that can help you lower your cholesterol levels, but do they measure up to the hype?

Watching Your Fat Intake

Watching your fat intake is an important part of any cholesterol-lowering diet. There are many types of fat that could hinder your efforts to lower your cholesterol. On the other hand, other types of healthy foods contain a heart-friendly fat that can help you to manage your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Making the Right Diet Choices

Following a healthy diet may help lower cholesterol, but it can also prevent high cholesterol from occurring in the first place. There are many types of diets out there, but each one of them follows the same pattern: low-fat foods and lots of fruits and vegetables. Even if you decide to design your own cholesterol-lowering diet, there are many foods that you can add that can also help to lower your cholesterol.

Cholesterol-Friendly, Heart-Healthy Foods

There are a variety of foods out there, from blueberries to pecans, that can help prevent your cholesterol levels from getting too high. Additionally, if you already have high cholesterol, these foods may be able to slightly lower your cholesterol.

Other Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Having High Cholesterol

Moderate exercise and smoking cessation can also reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol. You don't have to be a triathlete or have a gym membership to get exercise -- there are many studies that suggest even brisk walking will help to lower your cholesterol levels. Additionally, there are many programs - exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation - to help you to get motivated.

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Cholesterol

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