How To Start Diet For People With High Cholesterol

By: Kathryn Kline

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Learning how to start a diet for people with high cholesterol is oftentimes the first step to gaining control of the problem. Many people are able to lower their cholesterol by making changes to their diet and adding exercise to their daily routines instead of depending on medications. It's important to keep your cholesterol levels under control because individuals with high cholesterol can develop fatty deposits in their vascular system. If you need to start a diet for people with high cholesterol, some simple additions and subtractions from your diet may be in order.

  1. Red meat and other fatty meats are high in saturated fat and will elevate your cholesterol levels. Lowering your intake of these items or choosing leaner meats will help you to lower your cholesterol intake. Individuals with high cholesterol don't exhibit symptoms, it's generally discovered during routing blood tests. If you have high cholesterol and need to attempt to lower your numbers through diet and exercise, you may consider eliminating certain foods from your diet.
  2. Whole milk, full fat yogurt and cheeses will also raise your cholesterol level. By substituting lower fat choices for these items by drinking low fat milk or skim milk and switching to low fat yogurt and cheeses, you will lower your cholesterol. You can still have these products, but it's smart to choose the lower fat options if you need to lower your cholesterol.
  3. Commercially baked cakes, pies, cookies, and other snacks are loaded with saturated and trans fats. These items may taste fantastic, but you should view them as a special treat and not a regular part of your diet. If you can, it's best to eliminate all trans fat from your diet.
  4. Quit smoking. Smoking has been shown to decrease your good cholesterol or HDL levels. Smoking also lowers your exercise tolerance, so quitting smoking and beginning an exercise program are two things you can do to improve your overall health.
  5. Add fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet, exercise, and lose excess weight. Incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet will begin to impact your cholesterol levels in a positive way. Learning to substitute healthier choices for items that will raise your cholesterol is a great way to have an impact. Start reading those food labels! If many of the items that you buy have saturated fats, trans fats, and anything that is partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated, you should really consider replacing it with a healthier alternative. Many of the healthy choices to replace these items today still taste great and won't contribute to you continuing to have high cholesterol.

Try adding regular walks to your weekly routine if you struggle to find time to exercise. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and just try to work more walking into your daily routine if you are able to. Making these changes and following a diet for people with high cholesterol will help to improve your overall health and avoid problems in the future.

Posted on: Sep. 21, 2010