Low Cholesterol Diet - Which Foods Will Help You to Lower Your LDL Cholesterol Levels?

By a low cholesterol diet, it is meant that the diet will help to lower your LDL cholesterol levels. LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is the "bad" kind of cholesterol. It is this type of cholesterol that can build up on the linings of your arteries and restrict your blood flow causing blockages to your heart, brain and other bodily organs and systems. This is commonly known as atherosclerosis. The high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is the "good" cholesterol because it acts to sweep away the LDL type and prevent arterial blockages. Your total cholesterol number is the combination of your LDL cholesterol number and your HDL cholesterol number.

Cholesterol is a waxy and soft substance that is found in fatty tissues and is absolutely vital for all mammalian life forms. Humans and other mammals use cholesterol to manufacture new cell membranes and produce some very important bodily hormones. However, if you develop overly-high levels of cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia), then you become very prone to a variety of negative health conditions including congestive heart failure, myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), strokes and more.

Cholesterol is a type of fat and therefore cannot be dissolved in the blood. For this reason, cholesterols must be transported throughout the body by attaching to lipoproteins - specifically the aforementioned LDLs and HDLs.

It is your liver that produces cholesterol naturally. Your liver produces about 1 gram of cholesterol each day. That is all that you need. You get the rest of the cholesterol in your system from the foods that you eat. The excess from your diet must be metabolized and dispelled from the body. Foods that are high in saturated and Trans fats are to avoided for many reasons - including the fact that they significantly contribute to the buildup of LDL cholesterol levels inside of your body.

Your cholesterol lowering diet should be based as follows:

Low cholesterol foods

• Vegetables;
• Fruits;
• Whole-grain foods;
• Legumes;
• Whole foods that lack labels;
• Almost all foods that are low in saturated and Trans fats;

High cholesterol foods:

• Fatty red meats;
• Animal organs;
• Duck;
• Goose;
• Egg yolks;
• Poultry;
• Shellfish;
• Butter;
• Cheese;
• Almost all foods that are high in saturated and Trans fats;

Your diet to lower cholesterol is actually just a sensible approach to eating. Plants and foods that have no labels are what to include. Animal muscles and organs and foods with multi-ingredient labels are not. Just think of food selection as a natural process. It really isn't difficult to discern that a delicious and succulent apple is better for your cholesterol levels (and everything else) than is a steak and egg biscuit soaked in grease. Clean plant foods do not have any cholesterol to build up on your arterial walls.

A low cholesterol diet combined with daily exercise is your best defense to cholesterol-based health issues. Take the facts very seriously. The American diet is an atrocity for all of us - and especially for our children as they look to us for guidance in all areas including diet. Set the standards for your family's dietary intake and initiate positive changes starting today. A low cholesterol diet and healthy exercise plan can turn all areas of living around and help your family to thrive!