Diet to Lower Your Cholesterol
Reducing your carbohydrates intake is propably one of the most important thing change in your diet that you should take to lower your cholesterol level. Carbohydrate rich food such as bread, rice, pasta, cereals, potatoes and corn are converter into sugar in our body. They enter our cells with the help of insulin produced by the pancreas. Over time our body becomes resistant to insulin and the excess sugar from carbohydrates are converted into triglycerides and LDL or "Bad" Cholesterol.
One of the best way to get rid of some of the cholesterol in our body is to eat more fiber. Fiber helps to reabsorbed some of the bile (which is composed partly of cholesterol) in the intestine which is excreted during regular bowel movement. Oats together with Psyllium is a great source of fiber. Legumes such as kidney bean and lentils are also an excellent source of fiber. So are nuts such as pecan, almonds, Brazil nuts and sunflower seeds. Finally you get fiber from consuming a lot of vegetables such as cucumbers and tomotoes and fruits such as apples and pears. And do not forget to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water for healthy bowel movement.
Increase your omega 3 fats intake. You can get plenty of omega 3 from fishes. Vegetarian sources of omega 3 include walnuts, green leafy vegetable and tofu. A little saturated fats such as those found in meat and butter are not so bad.
Cut down on your intake of transfats. Transfats increase LDL or "Bad" cholesterol while at the same decrease our HDL or "Good" cholesterol. Most of our transfats come from vegetable oils. Most vegetable oils are extracted through a process that requires heat, light, oxygen and chemical solvent which damage the oil and convert some of them into transfats. Also to convert liquid vetegable oil into a harder form, they go through another process called hydrogenation which is forcing hydrogen atoms into the oil under high pressure and temperature further damaging the oil. An example of a hydrogenated fat made from vegetable oil is margarine. Also avoid deep friend food as the frying process creates a large amount of oxidized fats rich in transfats.
If you base your diet on salads and vegetables, lean meat, fish, chicken, eggs along with a small amount of nuts and seeds, legumes and good fats such as olive oil, you should be able to lower your LDL or "Bad" cholesterol and triglycerides levels.