* Less than 200 mg/dL is considered healthy.

* 200 to 239 mg/dL is borderline high cholesterol.

* 240 mg/dL and above is an unhealthy cholesterol level.

Many of our favorite foods contribute to high cholesterol. But there are some foods that can lower your cholesterol levels. Here are the top five as recommended by the Mayo Clinic:

1. Oatmeal and Oat Bran
Fiber is a key component in the fight against high cholesterol. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which lowers your LDL cholesterol, also known as the “bad” cholesterol.

2. Walnuts and Almonds
Walnuts and almonds are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help lower cholesterol levels.

3. Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and albacore tuna have omega-3 fatty acids that help your heart in many ways, including lowering cholesterol.

4. Olive Oil
This Mediterranean dietary favorite contains antioxidants that lower LDL cholesterol. The Food and Drug Administration recommends about two tablespoons of olive oil a day.

5. Foods Fortified with Plant Sterols or Stanols
Sterols or stanols are substances that are in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol. Now, foods are fortified with sterols or stanols, including margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks. You find the substances naturally in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

These are just some of foods that can counteract the cholesterol produced by your body or eaten on a daily basis. Incorporate them into a balanced diet and you can enjoy foods like eggs and beef in moderation without guilt or worry of damaging your health.

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There are many protein drinks, protein bars, protein cereals and a score of other protein things on the market and you will buy them and continue to buy them with no effect until you get frustrated and quit, unless you also take in your fair share of carbohydrates. Without the help of the carbohydrates, you can eat all the protein you want and you will still feel weak and listless because that wonderful and expensive protein is going right through your body without doing you any good at all.

The key to good nutrition is to eat in moderation. Eat your protein, but make sure you eat an equal amount of carbohydrates so you can effectively use the protein you ate. Carbohydrates will also give you the energy you would otherwise lack. If you do utilize the protein drinks and bars on the market, realize that they are likely to be filled with all sorts of things such as artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners can trick your body into thinking it has taken in sugar and it will act accordingly, use these in a pinch, but don’t substitute good, real nutrition for manufactured food substitute. Your best bet will always be to eat natural proteins such as is found in lean meat, nuts, beans, and other natural foods. Again, measure your protein intake by your carbohydrate intake; don’t have more of one than the other.

Body building is much more about good nutrition rather limiting yourself to an excess of one type of food. Supplements that artificially purge your body or build your body will eventually also be your undoing. There are plenty of unnatural ways available to build your body and for a while you will look healthy and strong, but time will tell the difference. You can build a house of cards that looks substantial from the outside, but if it has no inner support, it will be only a matter of time before it falls.

Your eating habits also very important. Eating small amounts at two to three hour intervals are much better than eating large meals four or more hours apart. Eat often and exercise just as often eat smart and eat healthy, that is how you build a lean, muscled, healthy body.

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On top of this leafy non-nutritional plate or bowl full, we pour all sorts of different types of salad dressings. Most of these dressings are a creamy sort that is full of fat and sugars. Why do we use these dressings in such large amounts on this particular salad? Because by itself iceberg lettuce has very little taste and this is because, as I said before, it is simply fiber and water.

So next time you think you are going to suffer through a salad in order to feel like you’re doing your body some good, consider this article and maybe decide to go with soup instead. The soup may not be all that good for you but at least you are getting some good flavor for your trouble and you aren’t telling yourself stories.

If a salad is available that has deep green vegetables of all kinds, that one will be healthy for you, but again, dousing it with a large dollop of dressing will negate it’s value to a degree.

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