10 ways To Lower Your Cholesterol

High cholesterol is a major factor in heart disease and most Americans have cholesterol levels that are too high. When controlling your cholesterol, you want to get your body to produce less of the “bad” cholesterol (the LDL) and more of the “good” cholesterol (the HDL). This is because the LDL will deposit cholesterol on your artery walls, but the HDL will help carry cholesterol away from your arteries and back to the liver. What you eat has a direct affect on both LDL and HDL levels. Here’s 10 things you can do to get your cholesterol on track right away!

1. Eating Fish, such as salmon, is good. Look for wild red salmon as they are high in Omega-3 fatty acids (the good fat.) Flax seed is a great source of Omega-3s so try adding some to your salads or ground up in muffins or on your cereal. 2. Use whole wheat bread or pita for sandwiches and switch to lean turkey and lots of fresh veggies. Avoid hot dogs, bologna, and salami. Substitute mustard for Mayo. These foods are highly processed and loaded with fat and cholesterol.

3. Eat foods that are high in fiber. Foods like oatmeal, whole wheat bread, vegetables, fruits, beans, and some cereals. (Look for the labels that say "may help lower cholesterol.")

5. Eat nuts. Yep, nuts are good for you - but don’t go overboard. Walnuts are the best but you can also eat cashews, almonds, pecans, and macadamia nuts. Nuts are high in fat, but it's the good kind. You can also switch to all natural peanut butter instead of the processed kind.

6. Check your salad dressing carefully since most of them are full of Trans fats as well as cholesterol. Olive oil is a good alternative and you can add taste with vinegar or lemon juice. Salads are good for you but skip the egg yolks, bacon bits, and croutons.

7. Limit your desserts and try to eat only healthy ones such as Jell-O, angel food cake, graham crackers and fat-free frozen yogurt.

8. Use the grill. If you must have meat, make it lean and cook it on the grill. This practice cuts the grease and fat while adding flavor.

9. Probably the single best thing you can to do help lower your cholesterol is to avoid fast food such as french fries or anything that comes out of the deep fryer (fired chicken, onion rings…).

10. Eat your fruits and vegetables. These foods contain no cholesterol and they have lots of vitamins, enzymes, nutrients and antioxidants. Not only will they help you get your cholesterol under control but they will help your overall health in many ways. Some great fruits and veggies to eat include broccoli, apples, cauliflower, green peas, oranges, garlic, mangos, pineapple, bananas, apricots, papaya, blueberries, kiwi, tomato and spinach to name but a few!

Now it eating these foods seems kind of bland, just add some spices to jazz them up a bit. Spices are a great alternative to fatty sauces and condiments like mayonnaise. In addition, make sure you get plenty of exercise and you’ll see your cholesterol going down in no time at all!