what is a low cholesterol diet
Even if you are taking doctor-prescribed cholesterol medication, you will still need to: Control conditions such as diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, and other health aspects that may affect your cholesterol and heart health Follow a diet that is healthy, low in salt and saturated fats, and low in food cholesterol Follow a good exercise regimen Lose weight if you are not at your ideal weight These heart-healthy choices may reduce or eliminate your need of cholesterol-lowering medications. For this reason, it is critical then that we keep arteries free of bad cholesterol for optimal health. In fact, every week, find a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables you have not tried and try them.

diet to lower bad cholesterol
You need to take the advice you get here with a grain of salt, but these groups are invaluable for giving you tips, recipes, and support that can make lowering your cholesterol bearable. This is often found on the side of the box or the back of a food package. If this describes you, avoid the television for a while and watch your cravings for fatty foods decrease. How Changes in Your Lifestyle can Affect Cholesterol Eating differently and getting doctor-supervised cholesterol treatment will help lower your cholesterol. In general, foods that have had more done to them (such as deli meats, potato chips, cookies, and others) and foods that are considered fast foods or convenience foods (such as hamburgers, prepared hors doeuvres, and cocktail snacks, among others) are higher in fats and salt.

Shopping Cheat Sheet

When you go shopping, take the following list along with you to prompt you to make good food choices:

Good Food Bets:

whole grain cereals, oats, and cereals that have psyllium and flaxseed
Any types of fruits
Grains such as quinoa, barley, hominy, millet, amaranth, bulgur, cous cous,
Nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, soy, also lives - all with no additives like salt and all untoasted)
Dried legumes, beans, peas, lentils
Vegetables of all kinds (fresh where possible, but frozen is fine too)
Soybean products such as tofu and soy milk
Whole wheat, rye, pumpernickel bread (look for low-salt varieties and check levels of fats first)
Tortillas
Whole grain pita breads and crackers (make sure to get low-salt varieties and check fat amounts)
Fresh garlic and herbs, dried spices and herbs
Low-sodium salsa or spicy sauce
Low fat and low sodium soup base or stock
Low sodium pasta sauce
Lean meats and chicken
Fish
Olive oil
Low fat dairy products
Egg whites
Rice and pastas
Popcorn that can be air-popped
Water
Real fruit juice


Avoid, be wary of, or buy very little of (at the very least find lower-fat alternatives):

Whole eggs
Whole milk products
Red meat that is fatty (looks marbleized)
Organ meats
Processed or prepared foods (heat and serve foods or sandwich meats and sausages)
granola or museli cereals (many contain lots of fats)
Sports drinks, sodas, fruit beverages (many are high in salts as well as sugars)

watch out for these ingredients or food values on food labels:

Sodium, salt
Eggs and egg products
Shortening, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil (these are high in trans fats)
Fats (especially trans fats, saturated fats, and others)

Prepared foods and foods you buy from take-out restaurants and in dining areas do not give you as much control over ingredients and preparation. The Statins most used today are pravastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin, and atorvastatin. These fats are also good for you because they dont change your HDL (good cholesterol) levels but do lower your LDL (bad cholesterol levels). Patients who take this medication need to have careful doctor supervision, since nicotinic acid can have a number of serious side effects, including hot flashes, interactions with high blood pressure medicine, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion, gas, liver problems, gout, and high blood sugar. When choosing processed foods, it is important to choose foods that have as few detrimental ingredients as possible. Cholesterol medication should never be seen as an instant solution to high cholesterol.