A Few Tips For Maintaining A Normal Cholesterol Level

There are many ways to maintain a normal cholesterol level. A person who has high cholesterol will not "feel" any differently than a person with normal cholesterol, however having high cholesterol is very dangerous. Taking a few steps to keep cholesterol normal will benefit your body and overall health.

Diet plays an important role in a person's overall health. In additional to getting important vitamins and nutrients that help the body to function effectively, the diet can be used to maintain cholesterol at normal levels. There are some foods that are more effective in reducing cholesterol than others. Besides making a person gain weight, fatty foods also cause many other physical issues including high cholesterol.

People who are overweight often have a greater risk of having high cholesterol. If a person loses five to ten pounds, they will not only feel better but also reduce or eliminate high cholesterol. Adding some type of exercise, such as walking, to your diet program will also work to tone and condition your body as you gain health.

Soluble fiber is one of the best, and easiest ways to maintain healthy levels of cholesterol. A person needs ten grams of this fiber daily. By eating one and one-half cups of cooked oatmeal daily you are getting six grams of this important fiber. When you add fruit such as bananas to the cereal, you add four grams of fiber.

Apples, pears, psyllium, kidney beans, and prunes are also great sources of soluble fiber. Other foods are high in fiber and should also be added to you diet to create variety. When you eat ten grams of soluble fiber each day, cholesterol is not absorbed in your intestines and passes through your bile instead of settling in your valves and arteries.

Walnuts, almonds, and other nuts are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Nuts have a lot of calories in them but eating just 1.5 ounces, about a handful of nuts a day, reduces cholesterol and also the risk of heart disease. One way to be sure that you are getting the amount of nuts you need without over eating is to get the small packages like those used on airlines. These make a great morning snack instead of the usual donut that people have.

Many fruit juices, yogurt, and other foods contain Sterols and Stanols today because of their great benefit in reducing and eliminating cholesterol. Drinking two 8oz glasses of orange juice fortified with either of these plant extracts can reduce cholesterol by 10%. Just two 8oz glasses of fortified orange juice each day will keep cholesterol from being absorbed into your system.

Diet and exercise are two of the ways that you can take make sure that you stay healthy and keep your normal cholesterol level. Reducing or eliminating transfats and saturated oils from your diet will also help you to take control of your overall health and weight. When a person loses weight, eats healthy, and exercises regularly they often experience many benefits include lower blood pressure and better overall health.