We are raising an obese society due to poor eating habits. With big-sizing everything that we eat especially in fast food chains, we are slowly clogging our arteries with unnecessary fats and cholesterol that our bodies do not actually need and cannot use. We have forgotten how to cook healthy.

The result is of course a society that is pestered with different kinds of cholesterol complications such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and overweight problems. In fact, one of the problems that the country is facing is the rising prevalence of people with hypertension, which can lead to a possible heart attack when not taken cared of.

So what can you do lower your cholesterol levels? The first line, perhaps the only one that is truly effective is a combination of regular exercise and proper diet. These two activities go hand in hand. Without one factor, you cannot succeed. Dieting without exercising the body will only lead to weak muscles, which will eventually weaken the body’s resistance.

It may also lead to fatigue and sore muscles because there is not enough nutrients in the body. Exercising, on the other hand, without the proper diet is useless because you will only be maintaining your usual weight.You will not be gaining of course, because you are burning whatever you need; but you will not be losing any pound either.

Besides, exercising too much will strain the muscles and might even lead to a possible heart attack because of too much strain to the heart.

So what do you have to eat in order to lower those cholesterol levels in the body and ultimately prevent the occurrence of hypertension?

Eat less oil

One of the first things that a person dieting should avoid is to eat foods that are deep-fried or those that are cooked using oil. These include potato chips, fries, fried meat, fried seafood, fried veggies and a whole lot more.

Oil, when taken into the body translates to cholesterol. What you should be eating are foods that are boiled, steamed, baked and braised. Grilled foods may also be eaten but not so much.

Eat less meat

The fats from meat contain a lot of cholesterol. If you can avoid eating meat all the frequently, better; but if you can’t stop munching those meat, just remove the fats that hang on the side. Chicken and Turkey meat is a lot healthier so if you can have a choice, opt for these kinds of meat products. Don’t forget to remove the skin though as cholesterol concentrate in white meats can be found on the skin.

Eat vegetables

Vegetables do not only contain zero cholesterol, it is also a great source of fibers that help the body in digesting the food that we take in.

As much as possible, steam the vegetables that you eat to maintain the nutrients in it and of course avoid fatty and cholesterol additives like oils.

Eat less period

Try to curb that appetite slowly by taking in less food that you normally take in. If you can lessen the number of times that you eat or of you do want snacks, eat healthy snacks like fruits.

Try to also lessen the carbohydrates that you take in, which can be found in rice, cereals and bread. If you must eat these staple opt for the healthier kind like brown rice and wheat bread.

The truth is that mental health and physical health are interconnected. If you are eating too little, or too much of the wrong thing, then you are going to suffer mentally for it as well as physically. Your brain requires nourishment every bit as much as your body, and a lack of protein in your diet can result in the onset or aggravation of depression.

If you suffer from depression, then one of the main negative effects of the illness is a lack of energy, a situation which affects your ability to fight the condition. Eating the right things is important, and while often depression sufferers will feel that they do not want to eat at all it is important that they make the effort. Rather than eating “comfort food” – which is rarely very comforting – getting some fresh fruit and veg, as well as carbohydrates from pasta or potatoes can help.

Drinking plenty of fluid is also important for mental health. Ideally, five glasses or more of water a day will prevent you from becoming dehydrated and depriving your body and mind of the fuel that is so important. Having the energy and the sharpness to send the symptoms of depression packing is essential, and your diet will play a big part in this.

Geography, weirdly, is something that has a bearing on typical diets. In many western countries, the climate is cold and rainy, and we are conditioned to eat heavier foods that are not so easily digested – we are expected to have a little more “meat on our bones”. And so conversely, trying cuisine from a hotter climate might be the key.

India, for example, is a country where the weather is invariably hot, and spice is a major ingredient in the cuisine of that country. Partly this is because it grows there and is easily affordable, and additionally spice in a diet makes it more readily digestible and doesn’t add fat. Good Indian food is a very worthwhile option in a healthy diet.

Of course, any food if eaten to excess will cause you to gain weight. But mixing up your diet to give it an international flavor will keep things interesting, give you a range of nutrients which will be good to your body and will get you thinking about food in a different way – which will be beneficial in the long run.

The most disturbing “alternative” to eating healthily is eating disorders. Most commonly, anorexia is chosen by people who feel that healthy eating still has too many calories involved. Although associated primarily with teenage girls and young women, anorexia is not limited to that section of society.

Bulimia, a disorder from the same family as anorexia, is becoming more and more common. Bulimia sufferers will eat where anorexics starve themselves, and will often binge to the point where they are uncomfortably full before inducing vomiting to ensure that food is not digested. While both anorexia and bulimia do allow sufferers to lose weight and keep it off, they carry very real dangers.

Although being slim is considered to be the glittering prize by many, it is at a price. If you are not eating the right nutrients, or are purging them through vomiting, it is impossible to keep clear, healthy skin and hair, and your energy levels will go through the floor. It is also unlikely that anorexics or bulimia sufferers will get to a point where they feel thin enough, and many can go to the point of killing themselves through malnutrition.

Well, if fast food is a secure industry, then healthy eating is one that compares with it. While many of us need to eat on the move, there are certainly enough people around who don’t want to compromise on their healthy eating plan. There are options for healthy fast food, even if we tend not to define it as such.

The best fast and healthy option for many of us is a sandwich. Certainly, the number of sandwich chains around the country is testament to how much people enjoy a good sandwich, and the advantage is that sandwiches are readily customizable. Admittedly, not all sandwiches are healthy, but it is up to you how you have them. A chicken salad sandwich on wholemeal with no mayo is certainly healthier than a burger and fries – and the level of variation compared to burgers means that it is a choice that need not get boring. Most sandwich shops also do wraps, pasta salads and other variations too.

There is no doubt that there is a certain charm to food that is not particularly healthy. That charm is not always in the way the food tastes. Sometimes it is a convenience thing – if you’re at a football game the chances are that the options for a snack do not include a healthy casserole, but will include burgers, hot dogs and various other foods that won’t do your waistline a lot of good. Sometimes it can be something as simple as the way a food smells – find someone who doesn’t enjoy the smell of fried onions and you may just have found alien life.

As often as not, we just crave the unhealthy food because it is simple. We’re used to it, we don’t need to sit down to eat it or pair it with just the right side dish. It’s easy and it tastes good. What we need to do is to get to the point where we find a healthy option to be just as hassle-free. For many people, the best option in this case is a sandwich – just as long as there is not too much butter on it, anyway!

The bare fact about eating healthily is that it involves expanding your range a little. Many of us will bellyache about trying a new food because we like what we are used to. The things that we have eaten for years were new to us once too, and the issue is one of being set in our ways. If you try something new every once in a while, you can become better acquainted with variety, and pick the new things that you really like.

There is no point in banging your head against a brick wall trying to develop a taste for something you know you do not like. However, you’ll never know if you like something until you actually try it. This is particularly true of international cuisine. It may look different, but millions of people eat it regularly, so it can hardly be poisonous. Taking a leap of faith and trying a different food is not going to be the death of you, so why not try something different once a week and surprise yourself with how much you enjoy it?

Many of us make the mistake of eating until it is uncomfortable to eat more. This is never going to work out well because we go on eating after we are satisfied and all of a sudden we have overloaded our digestive system. The digestive system is not like a muscle, that will get more powerful with every workout. We need enzymes to digest food, and when they are overworked it causes a deficiency.

In this respect, eating healthily can be as much a matter of making small changes as doing anything radical. Even a seemingly cosmetic change like using smaller plates can be helpful. We are conditioned to think that empty space on a plate is a bad thing. All that really matters is how we feel after eating. If after a meal you don’t feel hungry, then the meal has done its job.

In France, a country with less of an obesity problem with most, the diet is far from boring. The major difference between there and many English-speaking countries is that they eat less food at a sitting. The French do not eat until they can eat no more – rather they eat until they have eaten enough, and enjoy the food for its taste. In this respect, there is a lot we can learn from them.

Instead of making one big change, there is a lot to be said for starting small and making several little changes that will be easier to maintain. Those smaller changes may seem to be nothing, but they add up. When you get up tomorrow morning and you have a choice between bacon and eggs and toast and cereal, think about what your body actually wants – there are more nutrients in the latter, and they won’t cause a mid-morning crash.

When you are offered “fries with that” if you go for a burger, say “no thanks” and enjoy a small treat that doesn’t cause you to feel like you’ve transgressed. When you are asked how you would like your eggs, don’t say “fried” or “I like mine with a kiss”. The latter is bad for you and the second isn’t funny. Try having them scrambled or poached – in all honesty there is more taste and less fat from having them this way. Small changes like this soon add up.

When we take care of the cooking of food ourselves, we know exactly what is going into it and how it is being prepared. In a restaurant we leave it up to the chef. When you look over the menu in a restaurant, it is a good idea to have a healthy option or two in mind, and then ask the waiter when ordering how exactly the food is prepared.

Different restaurants will have different policies for how the food is cooked. Sauteed vegetables are usually healthy and delicious, but the difference between frying them in vegetable oil and fat is quite marked. Asking a few questions before committing to an order is never a bad idea, as long as you are polite and reasonable in doing so.

There may be some concern that the serving staff will lie to you or tell you what they think you want to hear in order to make you pipe down and order – but if you are reasonable and polite to them, they will be likely to reciprocate, and take on board your specifications on how you would like something to be cooked.