Suggestions For Choosing A Cholesterol Free Diet
In today's health-conscious world, low cholesterol seems to be one of the most common buzzwords. People instinctively draw connections between cholesterol and poor health, choosing to cut it out of their diets, without ever fully understanding just what it is that they are trying to avoid.
People tend to overlook the fact that cholesterol is a very important substance to the human body, and is only harmful if consumed in unhealthy quantities. Even fewer people understand that cholesterol comes in two types: bad cholesterol (known as low density or LDL) and good cholesterol (known as high density or HDL). As you can see, a cholesterol free diet would actually be a detriment to your health, as HDL cholesterol is actually very important to certain bodily functions such as building and repairing cell walls. New research has even suggested that HDL cholesterol functions as a crude antioxidant.
It is not necessary to adopt a cholesterol free diet if you or your family has a history of heart problems or cardiovascular disease. Rather, learn to avoid bad cholesterol while keeping the good cholesterol in your diet. LDL cholesterol can indeed be problematic, as it has been tied to heart attacks and strokes, but it doesn't take much effort to systematically cut it out of your diet. Rather than trying to avoid cholesterol altogether, avoid a cholesterol free diet and instead look for foods that are low in LDL cholesterol and high in HDL cholesterol.
Choosing The Right Diet: Is Cholesterol Free The Best Choice?
Finding foods that are conducive to good health can be very simple if you know what you're looking for. Lean meat and fish are both good meat choices, and are also high in protein. Also choose low-fat dairy products and be sure to keep up with your grains, vegetable and fruit intake. Try to maintain around six servings of grains each day, three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruits.
If you instinctively keep these simple guidelines in mind when you shop for food, then you will actively be avoiding harmful LDL cholesterol. Keep your fat intake to a minimum, as saturated fat naturally tends to raise blood cholesterol levels. Try to avoid fried foods as well, choosing grilled, broiled and baked foods as a healthy alternative.
As you can see, a cholesterol free diet may not be the wisest choice if you're trying to keep your heart and body strong. Simply choosing a balanced diet will help you to weed out the bad cholesterol and keep the good cholesterol.
