4 Heart-Friendly Foods

Despite having slim figure, your cholesterol levels may be more then the recommended levels for an average adult.

Even though you are below 40 years old, your high blood cholesterol should be a surprise as your lifestyle – eating unhealthy diet (foods rich in saturated fats) coupled with a non exercise routine - was hardly cholesterol friendly.

The good news is that you can tweak your diet to reverse the situation.

Some cholesterol is required for life, it is an important building block of cell membranes in the body.

Your liver can produce the amount of cholesterol your body needs.

Eat for a healthier cholesterol level
Not all foods are equal.

Foods such as; sardines, walnuts, oatmeal and some veggies can help you control your cholesterol.

Include these four heart-friendly foods into your diet.

1.Fishes
Sardines, mackerel and salmon are oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids which that help to lower your blood fats linked to heart disease.

Omega-3 fatty acid also prevents blood clots by making platelets less likely to clump together and stick to artery walls.

It also makes blood vessels less likely to constrict. Eat at least two servings of oily fish twice a week.

Make sure you cook your fish using healthier methods such as steaming and baking to avoid unhealthy fats.

2.Nuts
Almonds and walnuts can keeps your blood vessels healthy because they are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Especially walnuts, they are one of the best plant sources of protein packed with vitamins, fibre and antioxidants.

Make sure you stick to just 30g or a fistful per day and avoid salted nuts or nuts coated with sugar.

Also include one to two tablespoonfuls of ground flax seed to your food each day to help lower your bad cholesterol.

Although flax seed and peanuts may lower your cholesterol levels, further research is needed to confirm this benefit.

3.Soya
Soy protein such as soy beans and tofu may be able to keep your cholesterol levels in check.

Soy protein and omega-3 fatty acids are good alternative to red meat as it is low in fat and high in fibre content.

When you experience high cholesterol level, you can lower your cholesterol levels by taking or eating soy protein as part of a healthy low fat diet.

4.Oatmeal
By eating oats not only will keeps your bowel movements regular, it also lowers your cholesterol levels, and reduced your risks of heart disease and diabetes.

Diabetes is another risk factor for heart disease.

Oatmeal is able to fill you up for a longer period preventing you from unhealthy snacking that may raise cholesterol levels.

What is a healthy level of cholesterol?
Generally, the lower your total and LDL cholesterol levels means less likely your risk of getting medical problems associated with atherosclerosis.

A healthy cholesterol level depends on the presence of other medical conditions.

For a healthy person with no existing medical conditions, his total cholesterol level greater than 6.2mmol/L (or 240mg/dL) is considered high and undesirable.

If you do not have any significant medical problems, you should aim to have a LDL cholesterol level of not greater than 3.4mmol/L (130mg/dL).

And for a person with medical problems such as a previous heart attack or stroke, it is recommended that the levels should be even lower.

Good and bad cholesterol
High level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in your blood is commonly known as bad cholesterol.

It is associated with the narrowing of the blood vessels in your body or early rapid development of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis in turn will leads to other conditions such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure or poor circulation.

In order to keep your blood cholesterol levels healthy, it is important that you keep your saturated fat and trans saturated fat intake low.

Both types of fat are able to increase your LDL cholesterol levels.

Trans saturated fat reduces the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol known as good cholesterol.

It has more impact on your blood cholesterol levels than cholesterol from food.

Most saturated fat comes from dishes prepared using coconut milk or cream, as well as from palm oil usually indicated as "vegetable oil".

Trans saturated fat can found in pastries and cakes made with vegetable shortening, commercially-prepared deep fried food and processed products containing partially-hydrogenated oil.

Your cholesterol intake should be kept at limit to less than 300mg a day.

Avoid taking organ meat and shellfish more than twice a week and avoid taking more than four egg yolks per week.

Relying on diet alone is not enough.

Do not smoke and it is recommended to have at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity four times a week.