How does high cholesterol come about? Sometimes, it's a predisposition you are born with. It does run in some families, in which case, even more care is necessary to bring it down. It can also be a result of smoking or eating a high fat diet. Lack of exercise and being obese could also see your cholesterol levels spiraling! The reason high cholesterol is a source of worry is the fact that it is, very often, the cause for serious complications like cardiac ailments.

Most people look at a low cholesterol diet as a diet restriction. It is not, in fact so. It just is a healthy diet. It just requires a little bit of tweaking as regards your regular everyday diet. It can also add a lot more variety to your diet if you allow yourself to look around and experiment.

The first rule is to lower the fats in your food. Look at the labels on the supermarket shelves for fat content and pick the lowest. Put in a lot more fruits and vegetables into your cart. Walk past the products that are fried in or contain trans fats. Today, a lot of manufacturers are putting this information on the label. When your problem is high cholesterol, trans fats can be lethal. These are basically partially hydrogenated oils and they are used in so many products because they are supposed to add taste! And it is ubiquitous - you'll find it in cookies, cakes, potato crisps, etc. When you are in the snacks area, choose baked over fried products.

Try and avoid the "white" refined stuff. Whole grain flour is definitely better that white. Substitute some of the sugary items with dried fruits or use natural sweeteners like honey or molasses. Skim milk is preferable to full-fat milk as is lean meat like chicken and turkey to the regular red meats. Try and poach, boil, broil, saute or bake instead of frying. Choose oils like olive oil which is high in unsaturated fat, which actually helps lower cholesterol levels.

Make mealtimes colorful and appetizing. Just because you've cut down on the fat, the meats and the sugar is no occasion to mourn. Dress up whatever you serve so it looks good to eat. Make sure you have large helpings of vegetables and fruit and serve them so they look great. A vinaigrette dressing can spice up a salad. A fruit salad topped with honey and chopped nuts makes a great dessert. So does a fruit ice.

Alcohol and smoking are best avoided. Cut down on the salt you use as well. Do remember to check the labels of all your food items so they are "low" in everything - fats, carbohydrates, calories. If you eat out a lot, choose restaurants that specialize in low fat food. Most of all, don't be too hard on yourself. Make the lifestyle change slowly but surely. If you cut everything you love out of your life, you'll hate the new diet. Let yourself get used to it and you'll find you begin to love it!

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