Cholesterol in our bodies is a normal and natural component in our systems. But, too much cholesterol, especially that which comes from outside sources like our food, can lead to high cholesterol levels in the blood and that can lead to heart disease and stroke. With careful food choices, much can be done to control cholesterol and the best diets for high cholesterol can even lower your cholesterol readings.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is necessary for healthy cell membranes and it is also a building block for the creation of some hormones. Your body is able to create all the cholesterol it needs for health, and it is the extra dietary cholesterol that builds up in your system and can cause health concerns.

But, the good news is that the best diets for high cholesterol, when implemented consistently and combined with other simple lifestyle changes, can significantly help both to prevent high cholesterol from developing and to Lower cholesterol to safe levels.

Even before broaching the subject of the best diets for high cholesterol, you should be sure to also put into practice three other lifestyle changes that will help lower cholesterol and help you be healthier overall. These are: losing excess weight, stopping smoking, and exercising regularly.

Excess weight clearly plays a part in raising your cholesterol levels. By losing just five to ten pounds of extra weight, you can start to lower your cholesterol levels. The good news is that as you put into effect the principles of the best diets for high cholesterol, you will also enjoy the good side effect of moderate weight loss.

By quitting smoking you can almost immediately improve your HDL, or good cholesterol, level. And, in as few as 20 minutes after you quit smoking, your blood pressure goes down and within on 24 hours the risk of heart attack also decreases. After only one year of no longer smoking, your risk of acquiring heart disease drops to half that that of a continuing smoker, and within 15 years the risk is about the same as someone who have never put a cigarette in their mouth.

Engaging in regular exercise can also help you to combat high cholesterol levels, or keep them from going up in the first place. You should check in with your doctor, especially if you have been sedentary, but a moderate daily workout of 20 to 40 minutes a day can do wonders for many areas of your health. You might choose a brisk walk, a bike ride around the neighborhood, a set of laps in the pool, or any other aerobic exercise. The main thing is to choose an activity you enjoy, and it helps to do a variety of things to avoid boredom and keep motivated.

When it comes to the best diets for high cholesterol, the primary thing is to focus on eating heart-healthy foods which can have a direct bearing on your good and bad cholesterol levels. Significant amounts of research has shown that diets that are rich in fiber and in other types of cholesterol-lowering food choices can even help reduce cholesterol as much as taking statin medications for some people, and without having to be concerned over the negative, and sometimes dangerous, side effects of the statins.

The following are some of the main guidelines found in the best diets for high cholesterol.

Use Healthy Fats: Trans fats and saturated fats will raise your overall cholesterol, so no more than ten percent of your daily calories should come from such sources. The monounsaturated fats, such as those found in olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil, are much healthier options to use in cooking. Some nuts, like walnuts and almonds are also good sources of healthy fats.

Control Cholesterol Intake: Try to limit dietary cholesterol to 300 milligrams (mg) per day, and only 200 mg if you have heart disease. You will find the highest concentration of cholesterol in organ meat, whole milk products and egg yolks, so opting for leaner cuts of meat, low-fat or skin milk, and egg substitutes will help greatly.

Eat Whole Grains: There is a wide array of nutrients in whole grain food that benefit your body and encourage a healthy heart. Selections such as whole-grain breads, whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal, oat bran, and foods made from whole-wheat flour are all good choices.

Eat Fresh: Fresh vegetables and fruits that is, which are naturally rich in the right kinds of dietary fiber, helping to naturally lower cholesterol. Add snacks of seasonal fruits to your daily regimen and experiment with different recipes to put vegetables to new and varied uses in your diet.

Go Fish: Many fish, especially mackerel, herring and salmon, are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to be healthy for the heart. Also, fish such as cod, halibut and tuna have much less overall fat, less saturated fat and less cholesterol than you will find in red meats and even poultry.

With these guidelines for the best diets for high cholesterol in mind, combined with other healthy lifestyle changes, you should be able to help to lower your cholesterol levels and therefore reduce your risk of heart disease so that you can live a long and healthy life.

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