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Foods That Increase Good Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol comes in two forms – the good and the bad. The idea is to eat good cholesterol foods that lower the bad and increase the good. The ‘bad’ cholesterol is called low density lipoproteins or LDL while good cholesterol is called high density lipoproteins or HDL.
Suggested Low Cholesterol Diet
The objective is to lower your LDL and increase your good HDL levels.
As nature would have it, there are plenty of foods that can actually do both at the same time. All you have to do is include them in your daily diet and pretty soon you will see that you have healthy cholesterol levels, hovering within the recommended normal range.
There are many low fat cholesterol diets and types of foods that are considered as ‘good cholesterol foods.’
You can definitely create hundreds of different menus out of these healthy items. Just because it’s healthy, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to taste good.
Here is an example of a cholesterol free diet that you can get started with today.
- Breakfast – It would be great to start to your day with a bowl of oatmeal or oat bran. This is one of the good cholesterol foods that are highest in fiber content, which is needed by your body to lower LDL count. You can also add fiber-rich fruits to your oatmeal, like slices of apples or pears.
- Lunch – You can eat a chicken sandwich with whole wheat bread. Avoid red, fatty meats and stick to the white, lean kinds instead. Also, you can forget about fried food for a while because this method of cooking further increases the amount of fat and cholesterol in your food.
- Dinner – You can prepare a dish of salmon, trout, tuna or other saltwater fish that contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids. Unlike other fats, omega-3 fatty acids do not increase cholesterol levels – it brings it down instead.
Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
Furthermore, omega-3 has been found to make the heart stronger and lower blood pressure levels. Grilling, baking and broiling are much better options for someone who is trying to lower cholesterol naturally too.
If you get hungry in between meals, you can snack on are peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts or any kind of fresh fruit. Along with eating these good cholesterol foods, it would also be advised to get some regular exercise so that you don’t put on any extra pounds that can lead to obesity and high cholesterol.
You should also quit nasty habits like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. It may all sound so simple, yet it is these simple steps that people either overlook or ignore. If you are serious about your health, you will make a few little changes to your diet and routine. You will benefit from your results guaranteed.
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