Lowering Cholesterol

Recently, my mom called to talk to me about her cholesterol. She's had high cholesterol and recently the doctor wants to start her on medicine to control it. She and I both believe that anything that can be controlled without the help of pharmaceuticals should be done that way. I won't even take Advil for a headache! So she doesn't want to take any drugs, but has been trying to lower her cholesterol through her diet and it was still higher than a year ago when she last had it checked. So she is frustrated. So I started digging into her daily diet, and yes, she still eats ice cream once or twice a week and has cheese on a regular basis. And while she doesn't eat a lot of eggs or red meat, she does have some.
Having high cholesterol is part genetics and part environment (diet). Here's my short advice: Eat more beans, fruits and vegetables. Eat more fiber.
"Soluble fiber may form a sticky substance in the intestines and help flush away excess cholesterol. Oatmeal, oat bran, beans, peas, barley, citrus fruits and rice bran contain high amounts of soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber foods such as whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, cabbage, carrots and cauliflower may not lower cholesterol but help with the digestive process to keep a healthy weight. (www.livestrong.com)" Fish, nuts (especially walnuts) and extra virgin olive oil are also foods that will lower cholesterol.
An average person should limit their daily intake of cholesterol to no more than 300 mg per day. Someone with high cholesterol should limit to it no more than 200 mg per day. According MayoClinic.com, one large chicken egg contains 213mg. LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) is found in animal products - meat, eggs, dairy.
It is so important to develop healthy habits for a lifetime and not get caught in fad diets. You want a diet that you can sustain for a long time (or the rest of your life) and stay healthy. The Mediterranean diet can do that and help you lower your cholesterol. It incorporates tons of fruits, vegetables, is high in fiber uses olive oil in place of butter and other fats. It also incorporates fish in place of meat. This diet is taken from the countries of the Mediterranean, where they typically have lower instances of heart disease. Couple this with regular exercise for a healthy lifestyle.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/267100-type-of-foods-to-lower-cholesterol-naturally/#ixzz12fZLFub4