Do you know how important it is to keep cholesterol low? For those of you out there that are health fanatics, I am sure you know exactly what I am talking about. I am always thinking about my cholesterol level. I wasn’t thinking about it too much when I was a teenager, but believe it or not, even teenagers should pay attention to their cholesterol level. A low-cholesterol diet is the best way to improve your heart health. Below, I am going to give you 12 tips on how to keep cholesterol low.
First of all, it is important that you stock both your pantry and your refrigerator with the right type of foods for your low-cholesterol diet. Purchase your favorite fresh fruits, canned or dry beans, vegetable juice, whole grains and vegetables.
Instead of using butter, trans fat margarines and polyunsaturated oil, you should use canola oil, plant sterol spreads and olive oil.
You should look for those products that have specifically been created for those low-cholesterol diets. Some of those products include Smart Balance, Benecol, Promise and HeartWise Orange Juice.
When you wake up in the morning, for breakfast, start your day off with oatmeal. This one step on its own can lower your cholesterol dramtically!
Instead of consuming whole eggs, start your day off with cholesterol-free egg substitutes, or just egg whites.
Instead of using butter in order to keep the pan moist while you are cooking, you can use white wine vinegar.
In order to keep your heart healthy and keep cholesterol low, it would be a great idea to start moving around and exercising.
Getting involved in sports such as football, basketball, soccer and tennis will definitely help keep your cholesterol low.
In order to lower your chance of heart disease and keep cholesterol low, you should eliminate cigars, cigarettes and chewing tobacco. These cause damage to your arteries, and these damaged spots are where LDL cholestrerols build up.
A lot of our foods are loaded with fat. Changing to lower fat foods will help lower your bad cholesterol.
You should choose low-fat or nonfat milk. Again, this one step can greatly lower your cholesterol.
If you are a sucker for fried foods, then you may want to think twice about this one. You should not have fried foods in your diet regularly. Have them with moderation.
To help keep cholesterol low, you should always read the labels on the food. Avoid the food that has hydrogenated oils in them - that's almost a code word for LDL cholesterol! I use these 12 tips religiously and do not have a problem with high cholesterol. Do you have any tips that you would like to share with us?
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