Popular Diet Plans to Help Lower Cholesterol
Diet control is usually associated with weight loss. people follow different types of diet plans in order to shed those extra kilos off their body. However, what many conveniently forget that these diets also have an impact upon the cholesterol levels in our body. This fact is something which can be of great advantage for those who are suffering from high cholesterol levels.

Diet Plans For those Suffering From Higher Levels of Cholesterol
There are many diet plans which can help the case of those suffering from high levels of cholesterol. Some of them are as follows:

* South Beach Diet: South Beach diet is the easiest diet to follow and is also effective in reducing the levels of cholesterol in the body. The diet emphasizes upon reducing the intake of trans-fats and saturated fats. In their place, emphasis is laid on foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and unsaturated fats. These help in increasing level of HDL Cholesterol in the body. The most oft found food items are meats (not red meat), nuts and oily fishes.

* Mediterranean diet: This diet is named so after the region from it originated-the Mediterranean. The diet is rich in foods such as vegetables and fruits. These are good sources of vital nutrients, minerals, fiber and water and have zero cholesterol content. Apart from these, the diet also advocates consumption of unsaturated fats found in olives and nuts. Sources of fat such as red meat and butter are avoided. However, fishes such as salmon, tuna and mackerel are included for non-vegetarians.

* Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet: Also called the TLC diet, it is meant for those who are suffering from high cholesterol. The main emphasis of the diet is a distinction between "Good" and "Bad" fats and carbohydrates. It discourages the consumption of "Bad" fats (saturated fats) while encouraging the consumption of "Good" fats (monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats).

TLC diet recommends that the consumption of "Bad" fat should not exceed 10 per cent of your total calorie intake. Similarly, "Good" fats should make up a maximum of 20 per cent of your total calorie intake. Further, the amount of protein intake should be at least 15 per cent of the total figure. The rest can come from foods rich in carbohydrates.

With the help of the above three types of diets, lowering cholesterol levels seem somewhat easy. However, it is not necessary to follow one dictum- eat foods which increase HDL Cholesterol levels. HDL Cholesterol is the good type of cholesterol which helps in controlling LDL Cholesterol (the bad variety) in the body. This is a simple step to follow and is sure to work.
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