A diet which contains a low amount of
cholesterol is ideal, but we also need to eat more foodstuffs which
actually help lower cholesterol in the blood. Some of these are carrots,
oat bran, dried beans, garlic, avocados and virgin olive oil. Research
has shown that these foodstuffs reduce the chance of developing heart
disease and stroke.
Try to avoid white bread, chips and
crisps, salami, butter, lard and suet. Ice cream, creamy soups, salad
cream, jam, sweets, fatty meats, sausages, pork pies and pâté are also
off the menu.
Choose these instead: whole meal bread
and pasta, rice, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, chicken, turkey,
sunflower cooking oil, low fat milk and yogurt, mineral water, tomato
juice, home-made soups and nuts.
A study of several thousand men has
found that those who ate 140g (5oz) of nuts a week had a lower risk of
developing heart disease than those who did not eat nuts frequently.
Although nuts contain a high amount of fat, this is the 'good' type of
fat which is essential for robust health. Eating almonds and walnuts
reduces cholesterol in the blood.
Having a slightly high cholesterol is
not as important in older individuals as it is in younger people. In a
study of nearly 1,000 people aged 70 and over, no connection was found
between high cholesterol and death from heart disease.
Before you have your blood taken for a
cholesterol test, consider this: people who sit down for 20 minutes
before a cholesterol blood test have, on the whole, lower cholesterol
than those who stand up for 10 minutes just before the test.
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