How To Lower LDL Cholesterol

What is LDL Cholesterol?

You may have heard phrases like “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol”! LDL (Low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is the one which is bad. Getting collected in the walls of blood vessels, LDL cholesterol can thicken its walls, thus causing blockage which is the root of heart problems. Moreover, if the level goes significantly high, the risk of heart attack will increase.

It is essential to check LDL cholesterol level in your body on a regular basis. This way you can know if your heart is free from the risk of diseases or not.

Not every form of cholesterol is bad. In fact, cholesterol is an essential fat which supports the membranes of body cells. Your body receives some cholesterol through diet and produces some in the liver. Blood cannot dissolve cholesterol, so it is carried by transport proteins and delivered where needed. Lipoproteins are what we call these transport proteins. As a matter of fact, LDL belongs to this class of proteins.

A particular type of lipoprotein reacts differently to different forms of cholesterol, so does the LDL. Its particles are less dense, that’s why it is called Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL).

It is the chemical structure of LDL cholesterol that makes it bad and you can’t help it. While going through the bloodstream some of its particles tend to get deposited on the walls of the arteries, thus adding to their thickness. On the other hand, the white blood cells which are the defending warriors of the body, try to protect the blood vessels from it by digesting it, consequently converting it into a more toxic form.

As more white blood cells migrate to that area, the artery wall starts suffering from a low-grade inflammation and develops a bump called plaque. When this continues, the plaque starts growing and slowly blocks the artery.

Sudden rupture of the plaque surface is an even more dangerous outcome. The rupture will eventually develop a blood clot which may cause a heart attack.

It is necessary to have LDL cholesterol tests regularly. No one can predict heart attacks, though they are much more likely if the LDL cholesterol levels are high.

The results of the test will decide the level of risk. Less than 100 mg/dL is the optimal level of LDL cholesterol your body can have. If the level is up to 129mg/dL, it is near-optimal. 130-159mg/dL is borderline high level. Any level above this is considered as high.

Whatever your result shows, be sure to take it seriously but don’t get nervous about it! The worst factors for your heart are anxiety and pressure. Based on your level, you can resort to various fitness schedules and diets which will considerably reduce it.

How To Lower LDL Cholesterol

If your cholesterol levels are high, you need to learn how to lower LDL cholesterol. The term LDL cholesterol is short for low-density lipoprotein, and is known as the bad cholesterol. LDL deposits cholesterol on the artery walls, causing the arteries to harden and become clogged, a condition known as atherosclerosis. This can restrict blood flow and can lead to heart attack and stroke.

It is therefore important for you to know how to lower LDL cholesterol. The first step is to limit the amount of saturated fat in your diet. Saturated fats contain high amounts of LDL. Foods that should be removed from your diet include breaded or fried foods, fatty meats, and chicken with the skin on, doughnuts, cookies, and potato chips.

How to Lower LDL Cholesterol

Trans fatty acids raise LDL almost as much as saturated fat. You’ll need to understand what foods contain trans fats if you want to know how to lower LDL cholesterol. Trans fats are found primarily in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which in turn make their way into breakfast cereals, salad dressings, frozen dinners, and baked goods including muffins and cookies. It is best to avoid processed foods to curb your intake of trans fatty acids.

Fortunately, there are foods that can actually lower LDL cholesterol. Get to know monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats as part of your plan for how to lower LDL cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats also raise the amount of good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) that can further help to reduce LDL cholesterol. It is commonly found in olive oil, nuts, and avocados. Polyunsaturated fats are found in non-hydrogenated vegetable oils, and in many types of fish in the form of Omega-3 acids.

Another player in your strategy for how to lower LDL cholesterol is soluble fibre. It is most commonly found in oatmeal and oat bran, as well as apples and pears.

Once you know how to lower LDL cholesterol, you’ll be on your way to greater heart health.

How to Lower LDL Cholesterol Levels

If you’re like me, you probably want to know how to lower LDL cholesterol levels. Understand that keeping your health in balance is important, but when your cholesterol levels are not where they should be it’s a wakeup call. No one wants to be at risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, so when you find out that you have high levels of LDL cholesterol, it is time to address the problem.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is what is known as the “bad cholesterol”. And when too much LDL circulates in your blood, it slowly builds up in the inner walls of your arteries. This leads to the condition known as atherosclerosis — and if a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, you may suffer a heart attack or stroke as the outcome. So read on and find out how to lower LDL cholesterol levels.

Here are a few tips you can use to keep your LDL cholesterol levels in balance.

Three Tips for Lowering LDL Cholesterol Levels:

1. Exercise

Get your hearts working. You don’t have to exercise for hours, but try and do some moderate exercise (about 30 minutes a day) to keep the blood flowing, your muscles toned, and the other organs functioning properly. By getting into a daily exercise routine, you’ll not only loss weight but increase your heart health. And, you will actually begin to lower LDL cholesterol levels in your body.

2. Healthy Diet

Eating healthy cholesterol lowering foods helps. Consuming fresh fruits, veggies, and nuts helps lower the LDL cholesterol. Did you know that eating oatmeal for breakfast is smart because it contains soluble fibre that helps reduces your LDL (bad cholesterol). And that soluble fibre is also found in foods like barley, kidney beans, apples, pears, broccoli, and peanuts.

3. Take Natural Cholesterol Lowering Supplements

One of the most effective tips for lowering cholesterol is to include a natural cholesterol lowering supplement to your diet and exercise program. By following a regular exercise routine, eating healthier foods, and finding the best cholesterol supplement to take helps. Now, you know how to lower LDL cholesterol levels naturally.

Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

Maybe you have come across this term already, and maybe you know what is it, but if you are not, then this page is addressing your need and for you to understand more about low density lipoprotein (LDL).

What is LDL? Our body has cholesterol which can be generally divided into 3 types or categories. There are HDL, LDL and triglycerides. For this post, we only focus on low density lipoprotein (LDL). LDL is also known as bad cholesterol as the higher level of this LDL in your body will be bad for your health as it will increase the risk of heart disease.

By knowing this, many people try to avoid any increase in their level of LDL. However, LDL is needed for crucial job to carry the cholesterol from liver other organs or areas that need new membranes and cells. Therefore, we cannot totally live without it, instead we need to have a normal level of LDL and HDL as well as the index ratio between them has to be good.

However, excess of LDL will increase the risk of causing atherosclerosis which is hardening of blood stream wall. That will in turn increase risk of stroke and heart disease.

LDL Problems

The problem with LDL is, it transports cholesterol into the artery wall, causing it to stick there and when it accumulates it will become plaques causing thickening and hardening of artery wall. Over time, this plaque may rupture. When this happens, it will cause blood clotting thus may trigger stroke, heart attack, or even paralysis.

Recent studies have shown that concentration and size of LDL are significant factors in increasing the atherosclerosis process. When low density lipoprotein becomes oxidized, it will exhibit higher risk for cardiovascular problem. This is due to the oxidized form may stick better on artery wall.

Oxidized form of LDL correlates to the amount of free radicals in the body. Thus it is important to keep free radicals low.

Overcome LDL Problem

To overcome LDL problem, the level of Low Density Lipoprotein must be lowered or reducing the size of the LDL particle. There are pharmaceutical methods as well as dietary method to overcome this LDL problem.

Pharmaceutical method will be using the drugs such as Statins. Statin is an inhibitor that can reduce the LDL particles.

Dietary method involves minimizing the visceral fat in the body normally at the abdomen level. Ketone diet is also good at helping to reduce the LDL, and increase HDL.

Lowering LDL with Antioxidants

LDL in itself does not pose problems or do an harmful effect to the body, however, when they are in the blood stream and oxidized by free radicals, they will turn bad.

By consuming antioxidants and decrease free radicals will reduce LDL harmful effects thus prevent atherosclerosis. There are reports from studies that green tea has the high antioxidants which help in reducing LDL.

Green Tea, especially the unfermented tea leaves have incredible amount of antioxidants which can lower total cholesterol and promote HDL (good cholesterol).

Conclusion

By reducing Low Density Lipoprotein in the blood stream will help in preventing atherosclerosis which can thicken and harden the body’s arteries.

Keton diets and green tea are known to be able to provide the antioxidants to prevent LDL from oxidation which will cause harm to the arteries and body in general.

Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or Bad Cholesterol and its Effect on Health

Cholesterol is a water insoluble molecule which is known as lipid (fat). Cholesterol itself cannot move in blood, it needs a carrier, that is, protein, now it is known as lipoprotein (lipid + protein). A layer of protein covers it up to make it movable in blood. If rate of protein is high then it becomes “good cholesterol” (HDL – High Density Cholesterol). That speeds up the rate of its movement in blood and directly takes it to the liver.

Whereas, a cholesterol molecule with low protein passes at a slower rate and leaves its part in blood. This is known as “LDL or Bad cholesterol” (stands for Low Density Cholesterol). This can cause plague as the hard and sticky material which is left in arteries can block them. Thus, one can easily have a heart attack. Another thing that LDL can cause is Peripheral Artery Disease, that blocks down the supply of blood to the legs.

It is important to keep a check on cholesterol level to have a sound health. Cholesterol helps in the development of cell membranes. While pregnancy its helps in the growth of a baby. Here, it can be said, that cholesterol is essential but at the same time it is significantly important to keep a regular check on its level.

Measuring Cholesterol

Different countries have different rules regarding cholesterol measurement. Some measure it in milligrams (mg) and some in mill moles (mmol). Cholesterol tests are known as lipid panel or lipid profile. Through this you can get know your level of cholesterol in blood.

According to American Heart Association (AHA), 1.3 mmol/L or 100 mg/dL or lesser is as an ideal cholesterol level. But if you are a heart patient then it should be much lower than this.

Controlling Bad Cholesterol

In case one has a high level of Bad Cholesterol, then there are few things that they can do control it. Few changes in lifestyle can drastically affect LDL level.

Weight reduction:

Those who have high level of LDL cholesterol need to control their weight especially those who have heavy waist. Women with 35 inches and men with 40 inches waist have high chances of heart stroke.

Avoid smoking:

Smoking can help in increasing LDL cholesterol in blood. Thus, it’s better to avoid smoking.

Medical assistance:

When changes done in life style are not worthy, then you need to take medical assistance for better health.

Summary:

Cholesterol is bad as well as good. It depends on how we keep a control on our diet and maintain health. A regular check-up can be helpful. To fight with “Bad Cholesterol” you must take healthy diet.

Lowering cholesterol naturally is not easy, and you may find that you have to work hard at it in order to keep your LDL cholesterol levels normal. However, as with any good things in life, working hard is the only way to succeed in things like work, health, and not dying from heart attacks brought on by cholesterol.

While not everyone has high cholesterol levels, those who do should take steps to control it. Learning about how to lower LDL levels is actually quite simple, but it’s the putting it into practice part that is going to be particularly hard for you.

The main reason that lowering cholesterol naturally is so hard is that it goes against your current habits. Eating the right foods, lowering stress levels, quitting smoking, and getting more exercise may seem too hard for you, but the reality is that doing these things will be the only way to prevent serious problems from arising. Controlling your cholesterol and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels in your body is important, and lowering your LDL levels is particularly essential. After all, it’s better to work a bit at changing your lifestyle than trying to communicate with your family from beyond the grave.

LDL cholesterol is the thing that causes the majority of the problems in your body, which is the reason that it is so essential to keep LDL levels as low as possible. LDL is what builds up on the walls of your arteries, and it usually leads to problems like:

• Atherosclerosis
• Damaged blood vessels
• Peripheral and coronary arterial disease
• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Death

All of these things can be avoided by lowering your LDL levels, and you would do well to keep your LDL cholesterol controlled. There are a number of things that you can do to control LDL, and the following things will all help you keep your LDL at health levels that will help you avoid the above high cholesterol symptoms.

Read on to find out things you can do to lower LDL cholesterol naturally.

Set a Cholesterol Goal

Before you can start working on lowering your cholesterol, you have to have a goal in mind. While it may be fun to think about lowering your cholesterol and using your amazing mental abilities to do so, you need to actually plan to do so. It will take a bit of time and planning to find the best ways to reduce your LDL naturally and using medications, and you would do well to take the time to plan how to lower LDL levels.

It would help if you went to the doctor and found out what his recommendations for lowering your cholesterol are. If you are trying to kick cholesterol, you will need to find out where your total cholesterol is at. Finding out where your LDL is at is the first step in your lowering it, as you will need to know what your LDL levels are at now and how far down you need to take them.

Look into Medication Options

Aside from all of the great foods that you can eat to help you control your LDL, you may want to consider medications to lower cholesterol. There are a number of options for your cholesterol control efforts, and using medication to help you round up your cholesterol and kill them will be an effective way of “eliminating the competition”.

Obviously, you will have no idea what the various medications are, how they work, and what they do, so you will need to take the time to visit your doctor and find out what your medication options are. Thankfully, most of the side effects of the medications include nausea and vomiting rather than hallucination and psychotic episodes, but you should still take the time to do your research so you will be prepared for the effects of the drugs that you take.

Get Off Your Butt and Get Active

If you are serious about lowering your LDL cholesterol, sitting on the couch is, unfortunately, the least effective way to do so. Well may be that and eating potato chips and chicken-fried steak. Getting up off your rear and getting in shape is the best way to lower your LDL cholesterol, so get out of your house and get active.

What you do doesn’t matter as much as the amount that you do. If you are going to try for an easy method of exercise like walking, then you had best buy some good walking shoes because you will need to walk at least 45 minutes a day. If you want to do something a bit more active, you will be able to cut down your exercise to 30 minutes. However, you should never do any less than 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day, moderate being the key-word. Moderate exercise is defined as elevating your heart rate and increasing your breathing rate, so that means jogging, cycling, spinning, Yoga, martial arts, and pretty much anything that gets you off your butt.

Cut Out All Saturated Fats

Eating saturated fats is like adding something flammable to a slow moving line of napalm, and you will find that eating saturated fats is the quickest way to make your cholesterol turn fatal. In order to lower your LDL, you will need to reduce the amount of saturated fats that you eat on a daily basis. In fact, if you can cut out the saturated fat altogether, you will find that you will lower your cholesterol quite effectively.

Unfortunately for you, a lot of the foods that you enjoy contain a good deal of saturated fat. Pretty much anything containing whole fat dairy will be full of saturated fats, as will anything that is deep fried. You will need to cut out egg yolks whenever possible, and you should avoid eating red meats and fatty meat as much as you can. Doing these things will help you to reduce the amount of saturated fat you add to the traffic jam in your cholesterol-blocked arteries.

Start a Love Affair With Fiber

Fiber should be something you should fall in love with if you want to seriously lower your cholesterol, and you should reach for the high fiber foods like a fat boy reaches for cake at his birthday party. Fiber acts like a shield that protects your body from the LDL, and it acts as a garbage disposal that “takes out the trash” of the LDL cholesterol. Fiber helps to prevent LDL from being absorbed by the body, and it helps the body to eliminate it much more easily.

The best foods that you can start an affair with are vegetables, as these large and small natural foods are rich in fiber. If fiber was money, vegetables would own the Federal Reserve and the ECB. The more vegetables you eat, the greener you will feel. Eating more greens is not the only way to get more fiber, but eating whole grains is one of the best ways to get minerals and vitamins along with your fiber. If you can gobble down carrot sticks, leafy greens, a tasty salad, or a head of broccoli like you once ate chips, cookies, and cakes, you will find that your cholesterol will disappear faster than you can say “Cholesterol ate your uncle”.

Go Nuts with Fish

Fish, while it may have a fishy taste that you don’t enjoy, will cut through the cholesterol and take out the garbage like nothing else can. The reason for this is that fish is rich in Omega-3, which are fatty acids that coat the walls of your arteries and prevent the cholesterol from acting like Velcro. Eating a healthy amount of Omega-3 is one of the best ways to lower LDL, and it will help to increase HDL cholesterol levels effectively as well.

The best fish to eat are salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines, but pretty much any fish will be good for you. All the fat that you find in fish will help to prevent LDL from staging a coup de-etat in your body, and you will find that eating more fish will be one of the best ways to help fight your cholesterol. However, deep fried fish and frozen fish sticks do not count, and you have to eat the fishy stuff that comes from the sea. The natural fish that you buy raw is the best to eat, though canned sardines will always be a popular choice for those looking to lower their LDL.

Drink Up

One of the best news that you will hear about cholesterol is that red wine is excellent to help you fight your cholesterol. Red wine contains resveratrol, which is an antioxidant that your body needs to fight pretty much everything bad. If you have ever left a small amount of wine in the bottom of a wine glass overnight, you will usually see the powdery residue of the wine left in the bottom. This is resveratrol, and you will find that taking more resveratrol will help to fight your LDL.

However, don’t use this as an excuse to drink as much as you want. Remember that alcohol raises your blood sugar, meaning that you are much more likely to have high blood pressure. You need to control your wine intake to one cup of wine per day for the ladies and two for the men. This will help you to reduce the effects of the LDL taking over your body, and will act as a protective layer that will prevent your arterial walls from getting gummed up with the cholesterol plaque.

Go Green(or Black)

An other great thing for how to lower LDL cholesterol is going green. Going green usually means being environmentally conscious, but in this case it means drinking more green tea. Green tea and black tea are both incredibly rich in antioxidants, which is why so few Japanese suffer from high cholesterol. You will find that drinking more green tea is not only a great way to start out the morning, but it will help you to control your LDL levels effectively.

If you compare the two most common breakfast beverage – coffee and tea – you will find that tea is a far better way to wake up. Tea not only contains far less caffeine that will elevate your blood pressure, but few green tea drinkers add dairy creamer (full of saturated fat) and sugar (full of sugar) to their morning brew.

Drinking black or green tea is one of the best ways to start your morning with a healthy beverage that will go a long way in lowering your LDL cholesterol naturally. You may find that the light, fresh taste of a cup of tea in the morning will be much more pleasant than the thick gasoline substance that you call your coffee, and a small spoonful of honey should be more than enough to take the bitter taste out of the tea.

Go Nuts with Nuts

Nuts are incredibly high in fat, but the fats contained in nuts are completely natural and are actually required for your body in order to function properly. Eating a shot glass’ worth of nuts every day is one of the best ways to control your LDL naturally, as the nuts elevate the levels of HDL in your body. Not only will they help fight cholesterol, but they make a great snack alternative to your favorite bag of Doritos or Pringles.

Almonds and walnuts are the two best nuts to eat when trying to lower LDL, but don’t go too crazy with the nuts. Nuts are high in fat, as mentioned above, and you can cause further damage to your body if you eat too many of them. Keep your nut intake moderated in order to keep them on the list of foods that are beneficial. Eating too many peanuts, cashews, or pistachios every day takes nuts and places them on the list of foods that can elevate your LDL, so don’t go too nuts when eating your daily dose of nuts.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter

Butter, as tasty as it is, is actually a poor choice for lowering LDL cholesterol. Margarine, on the other hand, is a much better substitute that will be far less harmful for you. Not only does margarine contain far less saturated fat than butter, but you can find margarine that is made with plant stanols that will be a help in reducing your LDL levels. You will find that the flavor of margarine is hardly different than that of butter, and your potatoes and Mac and Low Fat Cheese will taste just as good if you use these types of margarine instead of butter.

However, do keep in mind that margarine is basically artificial flavorings mixed in with plant stanols and vegetable oils. If you are serious about lowering your LDL, you will find that eating whole wheat toast in the morning with a pat of butter on it should be your daily dose of the delicious spread. Eating too much margarine will be just like drinking cholesterol juice, as it contains enough saturated fats to be dangerous for your LDL if too much is consumed. Treat it like your yearly tax returns, taking out the trash, and attending marriage counseling: keep it to a minimum.

Quit Smoking

Smoking is one of the fastest ways to raise your blood pressure, damage the walls of your arteries, and die. Both lung cancer and cholesterol will be racing to determine which can kill you faster, and no doubt both problems will smile with glee as you keel over with a mild case of no longer being alive. If you want to prevent an early case of dying from cholesterol, it is highly recommended for you to stop smoking as early as 5 minutes ago.

Quitting may be easier said than done, but at the very least you should look into the various methods of quitting altogether. You can try various stop smoking devices that will help you stop smoking (kind of obvious, isn’t it?). You may find that electronic cigarettes may be the solution, or the patch, the chewing gum, or beating yourself repeatedly over the head with Allen Carr’s book on how to stop smoking. The way you quit doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as your actually stopping, so be heart smart and get rid of that nasty habit that is killing you slowly, giving you lung cancer, raising your cholesterol, turning your teeth yellow, and making you smell like a dragon that hasn’t brushed his teeth in millennia.

Other Ways to Lower Cholesterol

There are a number of natural remedies for high cholesterol aside from the foods:

1) Do Exercise – Having an active lifestyle is one of the best ways to lower cholesterol levels in your body, and you will find that doing even 2 ½ hours of moderate exercise per week will help to raise HDL levels and lower LDL levels. Moderate exercise means breaking a sweat and elevating your heart rate, and doing any number of physical exercise programs will be a good way to lower your cholesterol.

2) Eat Right – Aside from all of the foods that are listed above you will find that nearly all natural foods will be beneficial in helping you reduce your levels of cholesterol. All raw vegetables and fruits contain fiber, and fiber is one of the main nutrients you need to reduce LDL. Whole grains are also rich in fiber and minerals that help to lower LDL levels and elevate HDL levels, and eating healthy natural fats that are unsaturated and polyunsaturated will help you control your cholesterol.

3) Sleep Well – Sleep is believed to be related to lowered levels of HDL and elevated levels of LDL, but there is no clear link that has been proven conclusively that lack of sleep causes high cholesterol. Still, it can’t hurt to use your high cholesterol as an excuse to get an hour or two of extra sleep.

4) Lose Weight – Losing weight is one of the best ways to lower your high cholesterol levels naturally. Seeing as losing weight involves eating a balanced diet and doing exercise, you will find that shedding unwanted pounds will be a good way to help you lower your cholesterol levels.

5) Reduce Drinking – Alcohol, particularly red wine, can be beneficial for your body, but in incredibly small quantities. Drinking less than5 ounces of wine per day can help your body function better and actually improve your heart health. Drinking more than that amount of alcohol per day will cause problems and elevate your cholesterol by increasing the levels of triglycerides in the body. Cut back to improve your health.

6) Quit Smoking – Smoking is one of the primary causes of high blood pressure that damages the walls of the arteries, thus making it easier for the cholesterol to cling to the arterial walls. If you want to lower your LDL levels, stop smoking completely.

7) Take Supplements – There are a number of supplements that you can take to improve your overall health, and supplements that contain soluble fiber will help you lose weight, strengthen your heart, and lower high cholesterol. Try to find supplements that contain garlic, calcium, lecithin, and Vitamins B and C.

Drugs For Cholesterol

Aside from diet, there are medical options for reducing LDL levels. For those who are suffering from high cholesterol, there are a number of medications that you can take to help lower levels of LDL and elevate HDL levels in your body. There are a number of side effects to the various medications, but you will find that these drugs may be an option to help you lower LDL levels that are dangerously high:

Statins

These are designed to impede the production of the LDL cholesterol, and it does so directly in the source of the cholesterol: the liver. Zocor, Pravachol, and Lipitor are all examples of statins, all of which prevent the enzymes in your liver from producing cholesterol. These statins are a treatment for those who have high cholesterol.

Niacin

This is a medication that contains high doses of the B-complex vitamin, and it elevates HDL levels while lowering LDL levels. There are a number of types of Niacin medications that come in many forms, and you should consult your doctor to determine which will be the best for you.

Bile acid sequestrants

This medication work in the intestines to bind the bile that is composed mainly of cholesterol and prevent the body from absorbing it. These drugs work to reduce LDL levels, but the side effects of these can be irritating.

Fibrates

These help to lower levels of triglycerides, elevate HDL levels, and reduce LDL levels. The fibrates help the body to break down the particles that are rich in triglycerides, thus reducing the body’s secretion of certain types of fats.

Cholesterol absorption inhibitors

These prevent the intestines from absorbing the LDL.

These are only a few of the drugs you can take to help lower your high cholesterol, but you may find that these drugs will not be as effective as eating the right cholesterol lowering foods. These drugs are mainly used when the levels of LDL is dangerously high, as they can help to lower cholesterol very quickly to prevent serious heart problems.

Tips for Cooking Cholesterol Free Foods:

Preparing healthy foods is not the only way to reduce the levels of cholesterol in your body, but you will find that preparing all of your food to be as cholesterol free as possible is essential. By taking the time to prepare your food with as little cholesterol as possible, you can do your part to help lower the levels of LDL in your body. While it may not be as tasty to set down that Big Mac or Papa John’s pizza in exchange for a nice bowl of uncooked oats or bland millet, you will find that it will be the best way to help you lower your cholesterol.

Here are some great tips to help you as you strive to prepare cholesterol free foods:

• Make sure to fill your pantry with the best low cholesterol foods, preferably foods like beans, fresh produce, and whole grains. That way, when it comes time to cook, you will only have those foods to use.
• Find products that are made for those with high cholesterol, such as foods that are fortified with plant stanols and sterols.
• Buy meats that are lean or ground rather than prime steaks that are marbled with plenty of fat.
• Try eating the low fat poultry like chicken and turkey, and eat as much fish as you can.
• Use alternatives to meat for your dishes, such as bean casseroles or salads instead of meats and cheeses.
• Use olive oil to cook your foods, and avoid butter at all costs.
• Replace white rice with brown rice, white bread with whole bread, and white flour for whole wheat flour. Serve millet, quinoa, and other whole grains with your meals rather than white rice or bread.
• Use natural sweeteners like apples and bananas when making cakes, and use whole wheat flour for the cake rather than white flour.
• Always start your day with a solid bowl of oatmeal. Try making the oatmeal into muesli, raw oats, granola, or oatmeal to ensure that you don’t get sick of the oats. Adding fruits like bananas and strawberries will increase the fiber you get.
• Rather than using the whole egg, try eating egg white omelets, egg white sandwiches, and boiled egg whites.
• Cut down your sodium consumption as much as possible by eliminating canned soups, sauces, packaged meals, TV dinners, and artificial flavorings.
• Rather than making cream sauces for your pasta, why not try making Oriental style stir fried noodle dishes that contain far less saturated fats?
• White wine vinegar is an excellent alternative to butter when trying to keep your pan moist as you cook. It won’t add flavor to your food, but will be a great low fat alternative to butter.
• Try cooking vegetable together with spices rather than with sauces. Spices are low in sodium and sugar free, and you may find that the unique flavors added to your food will actually be much more enjoyable than the sauces.

There are only a few ways to cook foods to avoid high cholesterol levels, but all of the tips given here will help you prepare foods that will benefit your body as much as possible by keeping LDL levels down. Taking care of your body is important, and preventing high cholesterol will ensure that you live a long and happy life.