Diet for Health

      I'm on the Mayo Clinic Diet mainly to lower my cholesterol.  By losing weight, I'm lowering my low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL).  And then, with moderate exercise my chances of losing weight increases.  Eating more vegetables and fruits while eating less meat helps me to lose weight faster.

     Reducing the amount of sugar and salt in my diet has been a huge factor in my weight loss journey.  I'm using artificial sweeteners in my coffee on a daily basis and trying to iliminate granulated sugar completely.  By the way, alcohol is counted as sugar--no alcohol!  At my age, salt intake should only be 1/2 teaspoon or about 1200 mg daily.  Using less salt helps me lower my blood pressure and prevents water weight gain.

     Another important factor in weight loss and lower cholesterol levels, particularly LDL, is fat intake should be not more than 30 percent of total calories.  Lowering fat intake could reduce my cholesterol levels by 20 to 15 percent.

I have several books concerning how to lower blood cholesterol, one in particular is "The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure" written by Robert E. Kowalski.  This book is next on my reading list.

     Carbohydrates are very important for energy and I will delve into this issue during another interval.