Article Avenue - free articles and downloads

Fat or cholesterol is a major energy source for the body. Cholesterol is a naturally occurring fatty substance that builds natural hormones and helps build and maintain nerve cells. When there is excess amount of cholesterol, the walls of the blood vessel can thicken and reduce circulation causing heart attacks and strokes.

A Low Cholesterol Diet - What Is It?

In a nutshell, any decent low cholesterol diet will include healthy foods and regular exercise (i.e. walking continues to be one of the best exercises).

Try and eat according to the following general guidelines: Limit daily sodium intake to 2400 milligrams, get less than 7% of your daily calories from saturated fats, total daily calories from fat should be between 25% and 35% of daily calories, limit daily dietary cholesterol to less than 200 milligrams and don't overeat but rather consume just enough calories to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.

Fruits and vegetables are staples of a low-cholesterol diet. Don't feel limited to apples, bananas, lettuce and tomatoes. Your local farmer's market or produce department will have many appealing choices you've never tried before, and you will no doubt find new favorite veggies and fruits making their way to your table quite often.

Because grain does not contain cholesterol, whole grain breads and cereals are good choices for your heart-healthy diet. Sprinkling some brewer's yeast on your morning cereal and dinner salad can also help keep your cholesterol balanced.

One of the big issues for many people, in adopting a low-cholesterol diet, is meat. While red meat does contain a lot of cholesterol, fish and skinless poultry are great choices for healthful eating. Make sure to trim all the visible fat from meat before you cook it. And instead of frying, try grilling, broiling, boiling, baking, or sautéing.

Sample diets to reduce cholesterol level naturally:

Breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. An ideal fat free breakfast includes citrus and berries. They contain pectin, which can combat with ease. You can even go for alternatives like white bread if you get bored eating fruits every morning. You can drink water or skim milk along with them.

Lunch: Fruits and vegetables are always preferred as well as you can take some nuts. You should consume lots of good protein food like fishes while avoiding read meat is always safer. Salads form a great diet for reducing your cholesterol level and if you want to have meat in your sample diet then you can have chicken breast.

Snacks: Unsalted nuts, walnuts and almonds and even sunflower seeds are extremely beneficial for reducing cholesterol level.

Dinner: It is always advisable to have light dinner. The contents can be as similar to your lunch. Combination of a fresh salad and low fat dressing can be a healthy option. You can take fishes and lean meat during dinner.

What are the benefits of a low cholesterol diet?

There are a number health benefits to a low cholesterol diet, as you can probably imagine. These include:

• Lower cholesterol levels

• Lower blood pressure

• Lessened chance of cardiac events

• Diminished risk of stroke and blood clots

• Less overall fat intake

• More energy

• Longer lifespan

=====================================================

About the Author:

Read About Fast Weight Loss also read about Low Cholesterol Diets and Low Glycemic Index Foods