PajMon Information Blog

Ever heard of good cholesterol foods? What are they? We know now that there is “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and “good cholesterol” (HDL). The problem is choosing the good and avoiding the bad in our daily diet. It’s not a simple matter, but let me try to explain it below..

As bad as they may seem to be, cholesterol is actually very important for us humans. However, high levels of them in the bloodstream are seldom associated with stroke, heart disease and other cardivascular disease. What to be avoided on almost any condition is high LDL and low HDL. The LDL may become hardened and then forms plaques in your arteries, slowing or even blocking blood flow. HDL one the other hand, offers the ability to gather up excessive amount of LDL and carry it back to the liver.

HDL and LDL are formed in the body.. We don’t exactly eat them. Some known foods with high cholesterol level are dairy products, animal meat and eggs. Oil produced from plants contain a substance similar to cholesterol called phytosterols. They help us by lowering blood cholesterol levels. All kinds of saturated fat and trans-fats increase LDL, as do simple carbohydrate such as sugar and white flour.

In general, good cholesterol foods are foods coming from plants, because of the phytosterol they contain. Most animal meats are not good when it comes to cholesterol, except fish (especially deep sea fish) because they contain Omega-3 fats, which are found in canola oil as well.

A good diet for keeping LDL levels low would include lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods, such as oatmeal and fish. Eating a bowl of oatmeal every day has been shown to reduce LDL levels.

When you are cooking or baking, choose olive or canola oil, rather than lard or saturated fat. And, eat some nuts every day. It has been determined that eating certain nuts decreases the heart disease risk. So, you might call these good cholesterol foods; walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pecans or pistachios. One ounce per day is the recommended intake, unless, of course, you are allergic to nuts.

You might also try switching from coffee or soda to drinking green tea. Green tea has been shown to have many health benefits. Lowering LDL levels is one of them. Use honey or raw cane sugar for sweetening, rather than processed sugar.

Try taking lots of different antioxidants in your daily diet. When cholesterol in your body becomes oxidized, they form hard plaques in the arteries, which are very dangerous. Antioxidants such as green tea, vegetables and fruits help preventing this process from happening.

If you have to eat meat or poultry, make them lean cuts. When you have to take dairy products, make sure to choose reduced fat products made with skim or low-fat milk.

All in all, it’s not difficult at all to switch from your regular diet to good cholesterol foods. It’s just a matter of taking the right decision on what you eat.

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