Showing posts with label low cholesterol diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label low cholesterol diet. Show all posts

Friday, July 1, 2011

Cardiac Diet - Prevent Any Risk To Heart

A cardiac diet is suggested by dieticians to patients who are at a higher risk of suffering from high blood pressure, heart problems and obesity. The diet is planned in way to make the heart healthy and to prevent any risk to heart. One of the major enemies of heart is bad cholesterol and unhealthy fats. Certain fat products are made from mono-saturated fat which helps in decreasing the level of bad cholesterol in human body and it is allowed in a cardiac diet.

Low cholesterol diet is advised to patients suffering from heart diseases and in low cholesterol diet food product containing high amount of good cholesterol or HDL is allowed and food products rich in bad cholesterol or LDL (low density lipoproteins) is disallowed. Triglycerides are also fat products which are bad for health of heart and it should also be eliminated from diet. Bad cholesterol deposits in the arteries of human body and it can form plaque which makes the blood pumping difficult.

Different types of fats

Take poly saturated fat and mono saturated fats: Poly-saturated and mono-saturated fats are beneficial for human being. Poly-saturated fats can be taken from green leafy vegetables, seeds, fish and nuts. Mono-saturated fat is found in dairy products, olives, nuts and avocadoes.

Avoid Trans-fats: One should avoid intake of Trans-fats and saturated fats. Trans fats reduces the high density lipoprotein levels in blood and increase the low density lipoproteins in blood. Trans-fats are found in most of the pre packaged food products and it is also found in the fast food provided at restaurants. Saturated fats are found in creams, butter, ghee, cheese and coconut oil.

A cardiac diet should include the following

1. To reduce the level of bad cholesterol or LDL, more and more fresh fruits should be included in the diet. Fruits and vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, peas, soybeans, prunes, seeds, nuts and whole grains are rich in fibers and it should be taken.

2. The diet should be low in sodium. Sodium intake should not be more than 4000 mg per day for a normal person and in any food item the sodium quantity should not be more than 140 mg. Intake of table salt in food and salty snacks should be reduced.

3. The level of cholesterol intake should not be more than 200 mg in a day.

4. One can take lean meat or fish. Reduce intake of animal meat high in fat.

5. Reduce intake of Trans-fat or unsaturated fats which raises the LDL levels. Use low fat dairy products and eat whole grain bread instead of refined grain bread.

6. Reduce intake of coffee or tea. Caffeine intake should be less than two times in a day.

7. Use light cooking oil such as olive oil instead of refined oil.

One should also try to bring in some changes in the lifestyle to meet the demands and try to reduce stress. Healthy living is important which include regular exercising. One should not live a sedentary lifestyle and buy food products carefully. Read the label before buying any product from the shops.

Read about Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure. Also know about High Blood Pressure Herbal Treatment.

Low Cholesterol Diet - Prevent Heart Blockage

High cholesterol is invisible dangers which can cause severe damage to human body and to measure high cholesterol doctors examine the level of HDL, LDL and triglyceride levels in body. The bad cholesterol or the LDL cholesterol accumulates in the inner walls of arteries and it can block the passage whereas the HDL cholesterol is helpful in preventing blockages.

Cholesterol level determination

To test cholesterol the lipid level is examined in which the total cholesterol is measure in milligrams per deciliter. The LDL cholesterol should not exceed 100 mg per deciliter and triglycerides should be less than 150 mg per deciliter. The cholesterol level is mostly determined by the diet and the living style. Cholesterol is a kind of wax like substance found in most of the food products. Food products such as dairy product, meat, fish, and poultry contain a good amount of dietary cholesterol. Fish has less cholesterol and food products made from certain plants grains, nuts and seeds have almost no cholesterol.

Cholesterol is not fat but it can be found in high quantity in food products which are high in fat. Some of the highest amount of cholesterol is found in egg yolk and organ meat and in the human body pancreas function is to produce cholesterol, therefore, cholesterol from diet is not required.

Truths and Myths of low cholesterol diet

1. One can opt to eat low cholesterol diet in which vegetarian food and Mediterranean diet is included. The diet should include a good amount of fruits, grains and vegetables and a low amount of non vegetarian food such as red meat, fish and grains should be taken. The intake of wine should be reduced.

2. To reduce intake of cholesterol use unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat. One can take saturated fats which is found in cooking oil extracted from sunflower, cotton seeds, soybeans, corn but if the oil comes with a label called Hydrogenated, one should avoid it because it means the poly-saturated fat has been converted to saturated fat and it will not be helpful in reducing cholesterol instead it can be very harmful. The vegetable oils undergo the process of hydrogenation which makes it solid. Tans fat found in such oil can cause narrowing of arteries and heart disease.

3. Fish products are high in mega 3 fatty acids and it is said to be helpful in reducing the bad cholesterol but long term ingestion of fish should be taken only on advice of a physician.

4. Taking food products high in mono saturated fats is also helpful. Olive oil and canola oil are rich in mono-saturated fats and it helps in reducing blood cholesterol.

5. One should reduce intake of dietary fat both saturated and unsaturated to reduce cholesterol levels.

6. People who are overweight should reduce weight to reduce cholesterol because when the total amount of fat is reduced the total amount of saturated fat reduces. A very high amount of saturated fat is present in food products such as whole milk, ice cream, cheese, butter etc.

Read about Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure. Also know about High Blood Pressure Herbal Treatment.