A Healthy Balance of Nutrition - Lowering Your Cholesterol

A well-balanced diet includes food from each of the five main food groups. These food groups include bread, cereal and potatoes (starch), fruit (fruit juice is included) and vegetables, meat and fish, milk and dairy foods, and fat and sugar.

Normally, people should aim to be eating three main meals a day.

Firstly, take a look at an optimum level for foods that are good for you. You will need:

5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables
6 servings of grain products like bread, cereal, rice, and pasta
6 ounces of lean meats and poultry
Fat-free or low fat milk
Beans and peas
Nuts and seeds (not too many)
2 t0 3 servings of Fatty Fish (baked or broiled)

These are just some examples of food that you SHOULD include into your diet.
Most people need to eat more starchy foods and more fruit and vegetables, as well as reduce their fat intake, drink less alcohol and eat less salt. It is important to lead a well balanced life however, never cut down completely on one thing.

Take for example, oil. Remember that you must NEVER cut down completely on oily foods because it will lead to hormonal imbalances.

Look for labels that say food is low in fat (particularly saturated fat), low in salt and sugar-free.Fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals, low in calories and high in fibre. Eating lots of fruit and vegetables keeps the heart and body healthy. They are also an ideal alternative to eating crisps and chocolate as snacks between meals.

Try and change the types of oil you use to cook your food like vegetable oils like olive oil or corn oil and use spices to give your food more flavour.

There are only a number of foods you need to cut down from your diet. Once you replace unhealthy (fatty and oily) food with your new healthy choices, your taste buds will adapt and you won't miss those foods at all. Once you consume one type of food long enough you will adapt to it easily.

Here are other things you can cut down on - whole milk and ice cream should be avoided because of the amount of cream. If you like butter and eggs, make sure you use a bit less butter and eat egg whites without the yoke.

Also, try and change those high-fat processed meats like sausages and burger meat and replace them with white meat and lean meats.

Replace fried food with grilled food and it will help reduce your cholesterol in the long run without going through a starvation diet.

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