Choosing a Low Cholesterol Diet

You have decided to go on a low cholesterol diet because your blood test show your cholesterol is too high. The problem is you don't know if you can keep up this diet because all your life you have eaten certain types of food and don't believe you can stop. You also worry that if you stop eating your regular diet you may not have the cholesterol problem but many others health problems.

This is a normal reaction from people who have to change their habits after a lifetime of doing things a certain way. But just like smokers who have to kick the nicotine habit, or overweight people who have to lose as many pounds as they carry on one arm, it is a mental problem. And you can overcome it once you commit to it, knowing that a low cholesterol diet can make you healthy or even save your life.

So, before you start a low cholesterol diet decide what is in it for you. Once you know the benefits of eating this diet your mind would put up the resistance that eventually leads to breaking your promise. Now you may say, of course, I want a healthy body and don't want to die of heart disease. But those are basic benefits which come to almost anyone who starts eating heart smart. What you are looking for are those benefits that are unique to you alone. For example, perhaps you spend much time playing beach volleyball. You enjoy this sport so much that you attend tournaments all around the country, and you bring back medals, trophies and promotional goods.

Now put your passion for this sport into the perspective. Because you have a potential heart condition, you most likely would have to reduce your playing time. This you can handle because you also enjoy organizing games and tournaments. However, even though you reduce your playing time you may not be able to attend as many tournaments because the hectic pace could seriously affect your health. Do you see how not adding a low cholesterol diet can almost affect your love for beach volleyball.

However, you can eat a low cholesterol diet and still enjoy your passion for volleyball. Your doctor or dietitian can recommend various foods that will promote good cholesterol levels. She would also show you foods that contribute to bad cholesterol, and if you follow this advice you should see an improvement in your cholesterol condition.

With a low cholesterol diet you can be creative and eat foods which help to prevent cholesterol from draining into you bloodstream. For instance, You could include Psyllium, flaxseed, or Metamucil. You want to avoid saturated fats at all costs, and replace them with monounsaturated fats which can help your body lower your bad cholesterol without affecting your good cholesterol. Good cholesterol is known as HDL and bad cholesterol is called LDL.

Having a high LDL level in your body is a forerunner to heart disease. LDL clogs arteries and can lead to strokes or heart attacks. You have to decide if you want to risk either condition that can come when you least expect it. It is this unknown time factor that should help choose a low cholesterol diet.

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Choosing a Low Cholesterol Diet

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