Cholesterol is a common health problem in the United States. Statistics indicate that 107 million people have high cholesterol levels. This means that 1 in 5 adults in the United States have this health problem. High levels of cholesterol are those above 200mg. Shockingly, almost 38 million people have levels higher than 240mg.
Over the years many drugs have been manufactured and sold to people with high cholesterol levels. Some of the most widely prescribed drugs include Statins, Fibrates, ResinsNiacin etc. Though these medications work, they do have some serious side effects. The most commonly experienced side effects include headaches, constipation, abdominal pain, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sleep problems and muscle pains. And there are other, more extreme, side effects. Some side effects can even cause death.
As a result, increasing numbers of cholesterol patients have wanted to begin low cholesterol diet plan, and not rely only on the use of these prescribed drugs.
A low cholesterol diet plan is determined by the types of food eaten. One of the best ways in which to have a low cholesterol diet is to have a healthy diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods will not increase cholesterol levels so they are very important to eat. It is also important to reduce the amounts of fats and oils in your weight loss diet. It advisable to totally cut out saturated fats from your food intake. If you need to cook your low cholesterol diet food with oils it is best to use only healthy oils such as canola oil or olive oil.
Scientific studies have indicated that eating a lot of carbohydrates also contributes to high levels of cholesterol. So it is important to avoid consuming too many carbohydrates like bread, pasta and grains. Also, it is important to eat lean meats. Lean meats include chicken, fish and turkey. Bad meats include fatty and processed meats and red meats like beef and pork.
There are some other great cholesterol lowering foods that are highly encouraged for people on low cholesterol diets. These include nuts like pistachios and walnuts. You also have to increase your intake of seeds like sunflower seeds, and it is also recommended to have avocado.
In order to make low cholesterol diet plan more enjoyable, tasty and exciting, many chefs and food writers have published recipe books for people on this type of healthy diet. Cooking and preparing food is a very important process that needs close attention when trying to have a low cholesterol lifestyle, so fresh fruit and vegetable dishes feature highly in such recipe books.
A low cholesterol diet should not only be undertaken by people suffering from high cholesterol levels. It is good for all kinds of people. People who want to be healthy should also follow a low cholesterol diet to prevent having high cholesterol in future. So anyone who wants to decrease their high cholesterol levels, or just wants to be healthier in general, should seriously consider undertaking a low cholesterol diet plan as it is one of the best ways to have a healthy and long life.
