Diet Chart For High Cholesterol

Some foods punch well above their weight in helping to reduce cholesterol levels – we call them the “Cholesterol busters”. Choosing a healthy diet, low in saturated fat is important in helping to keep your cholesterol low but you can reduce your cholesterol levels further by including these super six foods in your every day diet. Cholesterol is carried through the blood in molecules called lipoproteins. The two most commonly discussed in relation to heart health are low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL (bad) deposit cholesterol inside your arteries. HDL (good) carry cholesterol to the liver to dispose of it or recycle it for future cell and hormone production, which makes it less likely that excess cholesterol in the blood will be dumped in the coronary arteries where it can build up.

Limit your intake of cholesterol from food to less than 300 mg per day. If your LDL is high, you have heart disease or you’re taking a cholesterol-lowering medication, it’s best to consume less than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. Foods high in cholesterol include liver and other organ meats, egg yolks and full-fat dairy products. Most of the fat in your diet should come from unsaturated fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated). Both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats may help lower your blood cholesterol level when you use them in place of saturated and trans fats in your diet. Keep total fat to less than 35 percent of total calories, or below 78 grams for 2,000 calories. Polyunsaturated fats are found in certain plant oils – safflower, sesame, soy, corn and sunflower-seed oils. Omega-3s, a type of polyunsaturated fat, are found in fatty fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel. Olive, canola, sunflower and peanut oils contain monounsaturated fats, and so do avocados.

Do's:

1. Include foods high in HDL such as almonds, walnut, oats, flax seeds.
2. Include fatty fish such as tuna, sardine, salmon, mackerel.
3. Consume egg white and skin out chicken.
4. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits is beneficial as they are rich in fibre.
5. Include low fat milk products.
6. Include 1 cup of green tea and physical activity in your daily routine.
7. Include foods high in soluble fibre such as banana, oats, apple, guava, beans, avocados, berries, barley, quinoa, flax and chia seeds, figs, coconut, okra (ladies finger).

Don'ts:

1. Avoid red meat, organ meats, shell fish as they are rich in cholesterol.
2. Avoid consumption of foods made by reheated oil.
3. Heavy oily foods, foods high in cream and cheese
4. Avoid saturated fat such as palm oil, butter, margarine,ghee.

1. Oats: Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber.
2. Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver.
3. Beans. Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take awhile for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal.
4. Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber.
5. Nuts: Eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Eating 2 ounces of nuts a day can slightly lower LDL, on the order of 5%.
6. Vegetable oils. Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter, lard, or shortening when cooking or at the table helps lower LDL.
7. Soy. Eating soybeans and foods made from them, like tofu and soy milk, was once touted as a powerful way to lower cholesterol.
8. Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.