Your cheeks are too chubby, your waistline is too thick and now your doctor is telling you that your blood has too much fat in it. What is a person to do?

When cholesterol levels are too high, your blood has too much mushy, yellow fat substance in it. When the excess builds up on your artery walls, they restrict blood flow, which can lead to angina, a heart attack or stroke. This is not good. Even laymen know that. You don’t have to be a doctor to realize that cholesterol levels have to be within the normal range or you are at a high risk for a variety of health problems.

Cholesterol isn’t all bad. Your body produces it naturally. Cholesterol helps build new cells, insulates nerves and produces hormones. The only time that problems arise is when you have too much of the bad cholesterol.

Cholesterol terms can be confusing. We hear terms such as HDL and LDL cholesterol. It’s hard to tell what’s good and what isn’t. This article will give you a hand understanding all about cholesterol.

Most foods contain dietary cholesterol. One egg has 275 milligrams while an apple has none. Daily intake of cholesterol should be limited to 300 milligrams.

Serum cholesterol is found in the blood and is what your doctor reads when he performs a cholesterol test. The recommended reading is 200.

Types of Cholesterol

HDL

HDL cholesterol is a subdivision of serum cholesterol, which is the good cholesterol that scours your arteries; the higher your HDL cholesterol levels, the better.

LDL

The LDL cholesterol found in your blood is a cousin to the HDL cholesterol, but it is a bad cousin. It clogs arteries and makes us susceptible to angina, heart attack and stroke.

Lower Your Cholesterol Levels

Weight Loss

If you are overweight, you body produces more cholesterol than if you were at the recommended weight for your height and age. Researchers have found that excess weight is a significant contributing factor to high cholesterol levels. Every 2.2 pounds of excess weight you carry puts your cholesterol level up by 2 points.

If you are overweight or obese, it’s time to start loosing weight, but be sure to do it in a healthy way. Your diet should consist of two thirds cereals, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. One third should come from meat and dairy products, which are high in fat and calories.

Fat

Cut fat out of your diet, but be sure to get some. A diet with no fat in it at all can also cause health problems. The body needs fat to survive.

Fat has three important dietary factors on cholesterol levels. They are:

• Dietary cholesterol, which contributes to high cholesterol in a small way.

• Saturated fats, which elevates cholesterol levels.

• Polyunsaturated fats which lowers cholesterol levels and helps to keep them within the normal range.

Of these three fat categories, it is definitely saturated fats that cause our cholesterol levels to sky rocket.

The effect of saturated fat on our body is three times worse than that of dietary cholesterol. Be sure to cut back on the sources of LDL cholesterol, such as butter, cheese, meat and any type of hydrogenated oil. Replace meat with chicken and fish, eat low fat dairy products and polyunsaturated fats such as safflower, soybean and corn oils.

Olive Oil

Olive oil, as well as foods such as avocados, canola oil, peanut oil and nuts are high in monounsaturated fats may even lower cholesterol more than a low fat diet and that monosatuates lower LDL cholesterol levels while leaving HDL cholesterol to work its magic. So, stick to a low fat diet which includes monounsaturated fats. Olive oil is a great monounsaturated fat and it is easy to substitute other oils with it.

A word of caution here; be sure you are replacing other fats instead of adding to them.

Eggs

There is much controversy over the eating of eggs on a regular basis. At one time people who had high cholesterol levels were encouraged to eat an egg substitute. Today, researchers have found that eggs have no bearing on cholesterol levels. In fact, most of the cholesterol that we have in our blood is produced by the body. Doctors are not beginning to think that diet alone cannot control cholesterol levels in the blood.

Eggs, as with all foods, should be eaten in moderation. Two to four eggs a week is safe and if you bake or make food with eggs, only use the egg whites, since they contain no cholesterol. Make omelets and other egg dishes with one egg and add egg whites.

Beans

Beans are inexpensive and very nutritious, as are other legumes. They contain a water-based fiber called pectin, which is also found in apples. This surrounds cholesterol and guides it out of the body before health problems can occur. Beans can lower your cholesterol level by 20% if you eat about 11/2 cups per day. This also will give you your daily dose of fiber, which is about 6 grams.

There’s no need to get bored eating beans. Black-eyed peas, navy beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, lima beans, soybeans, lentils and white beans all work to reduce cholesterol levels.

Fruit

Most fruits contain at least some pectin. Grapefruit, apples, oranges, and a variety of other fruits will help to lower cholesterol levels. Grapefruit is especially good, as two cups of grapefruit sections can lower your cholesterol level as much 7%.

Oats

Oat bran or oatmeal can lower cholesterol much in the same way as pectin. It also works as well as a heavy diet of beans. Everyone needs at least 6 grams of soluble fiber each day. A half cup of oatmeal can give you most of your recommended amount of fiber daily. Corn bran mixed with soup or tomato juice can lower cholesterol levels as much as 20% after about twelve weeks.

Carrots

Carrots contain pectin and can work in lowering cholesterol levels by as much as 20%. Just eat two raw carrots daily to make these delicious vegetables work for you. Carrots can bring your cholesterol levels into the safe range quickly, as can other vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, onions and garlic.

Exercise

Exercise is a very important factor when attempting to control cholesterol levels. It is one of the best ways to raise HDL levels and lower LDL levels. Exercise also aids the body in clearing fat from the blood after meals. If fat doesn’t stay in the blood, it can’t have raise cholesterol levels.

Red Meat

This might surprise you, but red meat, can be part of a healthy diet, although it has to be lean and all visible fat must be trimmed. Researchers have concluded that if red meat products are used in moderation, they are actually good for us.

Skim Milk

Researchers have found that skim milk may work to reduce LDL cholesterol if you drink two to three glasses per day. In twelve weeks, your cholesterol may go down as much as 8%.

Garlic

Large doses of raw garlic can reduce cholesterol levels dramatically. However, eating raw garlic can cause you to be left out of your social circle and garlic that has the odor taken out with heat doesn’t work in lowering cholesterol levels. But the news is good. A new garlic extract from Japan called, Kyolic, has been found to lower cholesterol levels substantially.

Psyllium

Psyllium seeds are rich in fiber, much like the fiber supplement, Metamucil.  Psyllium has been found to lower cholesterol. One teaspoon of Metamucil in a glass of water three times a day can lower cholesterol levels as much as 15% in eight weeks.

Coffee

Coffee can increase LDL cholesterol. So, if your cholesterol levels are high, cut coffee out of your diet. A study done in Texas showed that people who drank more than two cups of coffee a day tended to have higher cholesterol levels. Coffee that was made with a coffee maker and run through a filter did not raise cholesterol levels as much as coffee that had been percolated. Though researchers are not sure what ingredient in coffee raises cholesterol levels, they do know it isn’t caffeine.

Smoking

Quit smoking. As few as twenty cigarettes a week can substantially increase cholesterol levels. Smokers do not have sufficient levels of HDL to help their bodies fight LDL cholesterol. If you butt out, your cholesterol levels will lower rapidly.

Relax

Stress is a major factor in raising LDL cholesterol levels, so learn to relax. Set at time aside each day, even if it is only fifteen minutes, to enjoy some quiet time and get some rest and relaxation.

Battling High Cholesterol

The following items are believed to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Tea

The tannins found in tea can help you to control cholesterol levels. Studies have found that people who drink tea and maintain a low fat diet experienced drops in cholesterol levels to within the normal range.

Spirulina

Spirulina is a rich in protein and is a form of algae. It can be purchased in most health food stores in powdered form. Spirulina helps to lower LDL cholesterol levels.

Lemongrass Oil

Lemongrass oil is a flavoring that is often found in Oriental cooking. It can lower cholesterol levels by as much as 10% when used on a regular basis.

Rice Bran

Rice bran works just as well as oat bran and oatmeal in lowering cholesterol levels.

Barley

Barley is a high fiber grain rich. Researchers feel that barley is as affective as oat bran and oatmeal in lowering cholesterol levels. Barley is great for flavoring soups and stews. It can be purchased in most food stores in a dried form.

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is often taken to reduce gas and researchers have found it can clutch cholesterol molecules and escort them from the body. Taking a quarter of an ounce of activated charcoal three times a day for five weeks can bring cholesterol levels down as much as 41%.

Supplements

Researchers gave found that some supplements can help to lower cholesterol levels. Remember to consult your physician before increasing your intake of any nutritional supplement.

Vitamin C

Researchers have found that daily supplements of Vitamin C can substantially lower cholesterol levels by increasing HDL levels. As well, Vitamin C added to a pectin rich diet helps cholesterol levels drop to within the normal range. Eat pectin rich foods such as citrus, fruit, potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes and spinach, which are also rich in Vitamin C.

Niacin

Large doses of niacin, which is also known as nicotinic acid, lowers both total and LDL cholesterol levels. If you decide to take niacin, start with a very low dose and increase it gradually over a period of about twelve weeks. There are some side effects, such as flushing, intestinal disorders and abnormal liver function, so be sure to discuss taking niacin with your doctor.

Calcium

Taking a daily dose of a calcium supplement will not only keep your bones in good shape, it can help keep your heart happy and healthy. One gram of calcium per day can lower cholesterol levels as much as 8%.

Talk to your doctor about the best food and supplements to keep your cholesterol within the normal range. Eating properly and taking the right supplements can keep your body at optimum health. Once you have cholesterol levels under control, be sure to have them checked every three months to maintain normal levels.