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Tips for a Low Cholesterol Diet
 Marshal Rosenthal
Maintaining good health is an active process that every person can employ -- the luck of the draw with your genes might prove worthwhile, but no one should just count on that to prevent having high cholesterol. It's a mistake to think that taking medication to lower one's cholesterol is all that's needed -- it's also about limiting the intake of those foods that contribute to high cholesterol as well. Here are a few simple things you can do to have a low cholesterol diet.
Processed foods: Ready-to-eat meals (i.e., "TV dinners) are convenient, but the procedure of making them builds up the level of saturated fat and so the cholesterol. Make sure to look at the specs listed on the package to see just how much saturated fat there is. If you're careful, you won't have to give up on processed food, but for sure you can't go hog-wild on eating it if you want to have a low cholesterol diet.
Fast food: We all know that fast food restaurants are trying to be more healthy in their choices today, but for sure those french fries and burgers taste too good not to have. But at the same time they're not that good for you, either from the point of view of their caloric content or the cholesterol you want to avoid. Just like in processed food, you can check what eating one of the fast food products will do before making a choice. And of course moderation in your eating habits will help with your low cholesterol diet, for example, buying a single burger without the bacon rather than slathering on the extras with your meal.
Helpful as all this is, just remember that it's never good to ignore a doctor's advise or refuse to see one just because you might not like what you hear. Take care of yourself, OK?
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