If you have high cholesterol it is important to get yourself on a diet for lowering cholesterol and losing weight. Many Americans worry about their cholesterol levels, especially those who are over weight. In most cases the first step in resolving your high cholesterol and shedding those extra pounds; is changing your diet. You will discover some pretty convincing evidence, in this article, which will convince you, to improve your health by losing weight and lowering your cholesterol.

A recent study completed by The School of Medicine at Stanford University showed that with both diet and exercise, you can significantly reduce your cholesterol and get rid of the extra weight. The study was done with over 300 men and women with high cholesterol. In order to control the groups the first group was put on a low fat diet. Then the second was put on the same diet with an exercise program.

After a year the group with both diet and exercise had lower cholesterol. The group that didn’t incorporate exercise didn’t have a loss as significant as the first group.

Eating a low cholesterol diet has shown to lower cholesterol by 8% to 20%. There are a few low cholesterol diets that have proven to work well. These diets include; the Dash Diet, The South Beach Diet, The Ultra Metabolism Diet, and The Weight Watchers Diet. Every one of these diets has online programs or books to guide you through the diet with menu plans and instructions.

As an addition to your low cholesterol diet you should make sure to eat plenty of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is used to fix natural cracks and fractures in your arteries. If you don’t get enough Vitamin C your body will substitute it with cholesterol. If you make sure to get enough of the vitamin as part of your low cholesterol diet, your liver will not be forced to produce excess cholesterol.

In another study done, with sixty heart bypass surgery patients, it was shown that eating grapefruit everyday lowers your cholesterol. The study had the patients divided into three groups. One group was given red grapefruit. One group was given white grapefruit.

However the last group was not given any grapefruit and had no diet restrictions. The study showed that the groups that ate grapefruit regularly as part of a low cholesterol diet showed a significant drop in cholesterol. Whereas the group without restrictions, which didn’t eat any grapefruit, didn’t show any drop in cholesterol.

Additional studies have shown that women that have eaten five to six smaller meals had lower cholesterol and better weight control; than those that ate fewer larger meals. If you eat many small meals with a low cholesterol diet and fewer calories you will be able to lower your cholesterol by about 5% and drop your weight.

There is no question, having high cholesterol and being over weight, is very dangerous to your health. However, if you suffer from being over weight and high cholesterol there are some simple things you can do to lower both your weight and high cholesterol level.

As the above information indicated it doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply get yourself on a diet for lowering high cholesterol, combine it with a good exercise program and you are on your way to better health.

Did you know you could be committing suicide and didn’t even know it? “You’re crazy! I’m not committing suicide.” You say. You are if you’re eating foods loaded with cholesterol. It’s a proven fact that high cholesterol foods can shorten your life span by years. When you continue to eat these high cholesterol foods, you kill yourself a little more each day. For you and your family, it’s important to get your bad cholesterol levels to a safe and life sustaining level.

Eating foods low in cholesterol, with a well balanced meal plan, is essential to lowering your cholesterol levels. The problem that most people face is that they lead busy lives. This leads to many of us grabbing junk food when hunger strikes. It’s important to choose healthy low cholesterol foods over fast food. It will help if you make sure to pack healthy snacks when on the go. Perhaps most of all it is imperative for you to prepare low cholesterol foods at home.

When you eat low cholesterol foods, such as lean red meat, chicken and fish; you will start to see your bad cholesterol levels drop. You can balance your meals out with fresh vegetables and fruits. Often times when you follow a diet, which is low in cholesterol, you may begin to lose weight. Along with the weight loss you may also experience a higher energy level, mental alertness and less stress with the balanced diet.

Not all low cholesterol foods require preparation. If you are not sure how to cook low cholesterol meals, you can easily look up various menus online. Fruits, vegetables and nuts are both good examples of foods that can help lower cholesterol and require little or no preparation. Since many of these types of food require no cooking, it’s quite easy to pack them for snacks throughout your day. In addition instead of grabbing, fries and burger for lunch, you can carry a fresh chicken salad, balanced out with yogurt and fruit.

Another way to help lower your cholesterol is to make sure you drink plenty of water. Not only will the water help keep you hydrated, it will help to flush the excess cholesterol from your body along with other impurities. In addition the water helps to keep all of your bodily functions working at peak efficiency. Which means your body will tend to produce more of the good cholesterol (LDL) instead of the bad (HDL).

When you eat a diet with plenty of low cholesterol foods you also build up your immune system. This makes it easier to fight off disease. In fact eating a diet rich in low cholesterol foods is good for you all around. Plus when you lower your overall cholesterol levels you are less likely to develop heart disease, atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in artery walls) or to have a stroke.

Eating foods like oats and fiber are excellent for a good balanced diet. These foods are great to keep you looking young and feeling great. While you are learning to eat properly make sure that you include your family. Children learn their eating habits from their parents. Lead by example and show your kids how great it is to enjoy healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables, rather then cookies and ice cream.

Eating low cholesterol foods as an overall diet is a great way to lower your cholesterol. That’s not the only benefit however. You will also feel more energized and healthy. Due to low cholesterol food being healthy you will look better and feel younger.

We often hear that cholesterol is bad. Sometimes, news breaks through the noise that there are two kinds and only one is bad. What is the full answer?

What Is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance similar to fat. It is carried through the bloodstream and is stored in many of the body’s cells. Its biological role is to help create certain hormones and bile acids that help digest fat. It is essential for building cell walls in the brain and nerves, skin and muscles, the heart and liver, and elsewhere.

The body actually manufactures cholesterol itself, so it will be present even if none were consumed in foodstuffs. On average, about 75% of the total is made, while the other 25% comes from food.

Two Kinds of Cholesterol

Cholesterol is carried in the bloodstream by compounds called lipoproteins. There are two types: LDL (Low Density Lipoproteins) and HDL (High Density Lipoproteins). The first type, LDL, is the so-called bad cholesterol, HDL the good kind. Their reputations are gained from the different effect they have on arteries.

Arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins carry it back. But to do that efficiently, they have to be unobstructed and flexible. An obstructed artery produces higher blood pressure. Think of what happens when you put your thumb partly over the end of a hose. The water squirts farther because of the higher pressure. Arteries that are not flexible are more likely to break, just like a hose left too long in the sun that becomes stiff.

LDL (bad cholesterol) aids in the formation of plaque in arteries, causing them to narrow and harden. That condition is called atherosclerosis and is one of the main contributors to possible heart attack and stroke. HDL actually helps keep that plaque from building up on the artery walls.

How Much Is Bad?

Like anything, even bad cholesterol is only bad to one degree or another.

For an average adult, less than 200 mg/dL (milligrams per decaliter, of blood that is) total cholesterol is desirable, since the lower number correlates with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).

A number from 200-239 mg/dL is considered on the high end of the gray area. A number of 240 mg/dL is high, increasing the risk of CHD to double that of someone with a number of 200 mg/dL or below.

LDL is best kept below 100 mg/dL, with 100-129 mg/dL in the range of acceptable. Anything between 130-159 mg/dL is borderline, while 160-189 mg/dL is considered high. Anything above 190 mg/dL is very high.

But it’s possible to have too little as well, when measuring HDL.

About 40 mg/dL (for men) and 50 mg/dL (for women) is at the bottom of the good range for HDL. A number lower than this is correlated with increased risk of CHD. An HDL measurement of 60 mg/dL and above puts one into the safer range for protection against heart disease.

One reason for the relatively wide range is that there are other factors for risk of heart disease, including family history, lifestyle (such as smoking, excess alcohol, amount of exercise), BMI and others. Another is the level of triglycerides present.

A Few Words About Triglycerides

Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body. Their levels are also measured whenever measuring cholesterol. Like cholesterol, they play a role in the risk of CHD and influence how risky one cholesterol level is over another.

Less than 150 mg/dL of triglycerides is normal, while 150-199 mg/dL is borderline. From 200-499 mg/dL is high, with anything above 500 mg/dL very high.

Summary

Overall, keeping the proper balance and level of cholesterol and triglycerides is one key to optimal health. The benefits are optimal blood pressure, low risk of CHD and improved odds of a healthy and long life.