What Are Low Cholesterol Foods?

According to the University of Utah Health Services Center, low cholestrol foods are available that can be incorporated into any recipe or diet plan. These foods contain good cholestrol amounts, but are low in saturated fats.

Thanks to extensive research, scientists have found a way to create a diet to lower cholestrol by reducing margarine consumption, not butter and eggs as originally thought. A meal or recipe that does not incorporate processed/refined foods, as well as trans/hydrogenated oils and fats are far more beneficial.

The important criteria when cooking recipes is to find ones that lower bad LDL cholestrol, but increase good HDL cholestrol. LDL that attaches to artery walls acts like plaque does on teeth. It can partially or completely block not only arteries, but veins and capillaries, limiting or halting blood flow to body cells, organs and most importantly the heart and brain. Such build up can result in heart attacks and strokes.

With labels on food packages giving more information than ever before about the nutrients, carbohydrates and cholestrol they contain, it is getting easier to eat the foods we like without the high risk of heart disease or stroke. The following is a list, based on the four food groups, of healthy, low cholestrol foods:

Meat, fish, poultry and meat alternatives:

(2 to 3 servings daily of a maximum of 6 oz. per serving)

Beef - sirloin, loin, chuck

Eggs - organic or free-range, cholesterol-free substitute

Fish and shellfish - white, pink, red, grey (fresh or water packed only)

Lamb - leg, rib, loin, arm

Legumes - peas, beans, lentils, etc.

Pork - leg, shoulder, tenderloin

Poultry - chicken, turkey, and game birds (white or light meat only, and no skin)

Veal - all types, fat cut off

Dairy products:

(2-3 servings per day - 6 oz. milk or yogurt, or 1 matchbox size of cheese)

Milk - low-fat, 1%, 2%, no-fat, skim, low-fat evaporated, low-fat powdered or low-fat buttermilk

Yogurt - low-fat

Cheeses (soft) - low-fat cottage or farmer; part-skim ricotta, mozzarella

Cream cheese - light or low-fat

Sour cream - light or low-fat

Ice cream - low-fat

Breads, cereals, rice, pasta:

(6-11 servings daily of whole wheat, vegetable, Omega 3, fiber2c, or low-cholestrol varieties)

Bread - pita, pumpernickel, rye, whole wheat

Rice cakes

English muffins - whole wheat

Crackers - low-fat, matzo, rye crisp breads, saltines, zwieback

Cereals - low-fat, low cholestrol, low sugar, low sodium

Pasta - any type

Rice - basmati, Thai, very long grain, wild

Fruits and vegetables:

(3 to 10 servings daily of green, orange, yellow, red and dark green vegetables and varied fruit and juices)

Any vegetable - low-sodium canned, fresh, frozen, dried

Any fruit - low-sodium, canned, fresh, frozen, dried

Other foods:

Oils - (6-8 oz maximum daily) unsaturated corn, extra virgin olive, peanut, canola oil, safflower, sesame, soybean

The following foods should be avoided or kept to a minimum as they contain a fair amount of saturated fats and too high a concentration of LDL cholestrol:

All candies, cakes, soft drinks and sweet snacks

Animal fats - all types, lard

beef - corned, regular ground, short ribs, brisket

caviar - all types

cereals - high sugar, high saturated fat, granola

cheese - Neufchatel, Swiss, Brie, Mozzarella, Cheddar, American, Feta, processed, full chocolate

cream, full cream ricotta, Muenster

cream - most regular, and non-dairy

duck

ice cream - full cream

goose

luncheon meats - regular

most snack crackers - cheese, butter

organ meats - liver, sweetbreads, kidney, brain

pasta dinners - cheese sauces, cream sauces, butter sauces; egg noodles

popcorn - buttered

pork - blade roll, spare ribs, bacon

potato chips

rice dinners - cheese sauces, cream sauces, butter sauces

sausages - most varieties, including wieners and frankfurters

sour cream - full fat

vegetable dishes - buttered, with cream, with gravy, or with fatty sauces

yogurt - full fat

What Foods are Great for a Natural Body Detox

When you are thinking about a body detox plan, there is a good chance that you are suffering from all the signs of having too many toxins your system; you are lethargic, tired all the time, and probably fighting depression on top of it. When you are looking for ways towards a full body detox, you'll find that you are often told to eat better, but what does that mean? The fact is, there are many foods that you can eat that will have an excellent whole body detox effect on you, so make sure that you stock up the next time that you are at the grocery store!

1.Broccoli Spears:
You'll find that broccoli has some very powerful antioxidants at work in it, and they are also hard at work when it comes to be an enzyme stimulator. Many people balk from eating this vegetable, but try it again as an adult, even if you hated it as a little kid; this is surprisingly tasty when steamed and it is used in many a body detox recipe.

2.Lemons
Not only do lemons provide you with a good dose of Vitamin C, you'll find that it can be a great way to keep your body regulated as well. Mix up some fresh-squeezed lemonade and make sure that you drink it down; lemons contain some powerful antioxidants in form that is very easy to absorb into your system during a body detox plan.

3.Leafy greens
In a word, salads! Leafy green vegetables can be integrated into any body detox recipe and you'll find that the chlorophyll in them helps you sweep out toxins that include heavy metals and pesticides. Leafy greens are excellent for the liver. Make sure that you choose the heftier types of lettuces, though; iceberg lettuce doesn't have very much when it comes to nutrients, but romaine and spinach are excellent.

4.Garlic
Lets hope you like Asian food or Italian food, because one of the best detox foods for you out there is garlic. When you are sick, the sulfur in garlic can help kill of the germs, and you'll find that it is quite powerful when it comes to helping protect your heart and your liver. You'll find that eating garlic is one of the healthiest things that you can do on a body detox diet

5.Fish
When you are looking to do a home body detox, you should typically stay away from meats, but fish for the most part is significantly better for you than any sort of red meats. Not only will you get a good complement of the good kind of oils, you will also see that eating salmon and halibut can help your body cleanse itself of cravings for heavier meats.

6.Just about any kind of fruit
Fruits are great because they can help you beat a craving for refined sugars when you are easing into a body detox diet. Take some time and figure out what fruits you like. Many nutritionists are saying that red fruits are great for helping you detox, so pile on the cranberries and strawberries. You'll find that fruit can be a great way to kill hunger pangs and to have some really wonderfully tasty treats at any point in the day.

This is the beginning of great foods to eat when you are looking forward to a body detox plan, so don't stop here! Look for more ways that you can do some spring cleaning on your body!