Cooking and Eating In Low Cholesterol Diets

March 20th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Finding out that you have high cholesterol numbers can be very worrying. Elevated levels can lead to serious health problems although bringing them back to within a healthy range is probably not as hard as you think. It may require nothing more than simple changes to what you eat and how you cook your food.

Such advice is likely to be the first thing that your doctor will tell you, and though, in the beginning, following low cholesterol diets can be a little difficult, there are numerous “tricks” that you can use that will make it easier to achieve.

Reduce the Amount of Cholesterol You Eat

A low cholesterol diet is mainly aimed at reducing the amount of cholesterol you consume as well as reducing your intake of saturated and trans fats. According to studies conducted on how cholesterol works in the body, it has been found that these particular types of fats, result in high cholesterol levels when regularly eaten. Therefore, you need to examine your daily diet and make changes such as reducing the amount of red meat you eat in order to keep these dangerous fats at a minimum. Choosing lean cuts such as chicken, or fish rather than red meats will also help.

Cooking can also have an affect on cholesterol levels and an improved diet should also include foods that have been baked, broiled or grilled. These methods of cooking result in fats being drained away from the meat which mean less are absorbed into the blood stream.

Low cholesterol diets should not contain fried foods since most oils have more fat content than is good for you. In addition, you will also need to reduce your intake of dairy products that usually contain high saturated fats. You will need to switch over to diet and low fat products choosing skimmed or soy milk over full fat milk, for example.

Eggs also contain a high level of cholesterol, particularly in the yolk so low cholesterol diets may require that you separate the yolk from the white and eat the latter while discarding the former. Eating the yellow yolk is usually ok though, provided it is done in moderation. More concerning is when you combine eggs with bacon and fried sausages!

The best person to go to for advice on low cholesterol diets is, of course, your physician who will, most likely, give you a diet sheet to follow. In extreme cases you may be referred to a nutritionist.


Food High in Cholesterol

December 12th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

What Is A Food High in Cholesterol?

Keeping your cholesterol levels low is vital for keeping your heart healthy. If you are a normally healthy person, your body makes all of the cholesterol that it needs. Adding too much more cholesterol on a regular basis can lead to heart disease or a heart attack. By recognizing food high in cholesterol, you can limit your ingestion of it. Combined with regular exercise, this is the most effective way to fight high cholesterol.

Read The Labels

A diet low in cholesterol shouldn’t have too many labels. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables are the key to a low cholesterol diet. When your food does come with a label, you should be looking at the most important items to spot food high in cholesterol. First, remember that all the numbers are based on the serving.

Some foods seem to deliberately make their bad numbers seem small by defining a serving size as something less than the average person would eat. For instance, when a 16 ounce beverage bottle claims to contain two servings, you may wonder what they are thinking. Just remember that no matter how small the package is, if it claims to contain two servings, double all of the numbers.

Look at the calories and calories from fat. This will tell you the percentage of fat it contains. You should have fewer than 30% of your daily calories from fat. That’s easier to accomplish if each serving you have sticks to that figure. The listing of total fat shows the number of grams of fat per serving. The percentage is not the percentage of the serving is fat but the percentage of your daily fat allowance is contained in one serving. Look at the amount of saturated fat and trans fat is in the food.

This is where you will find whether this is food high in cholesterol. Both types of fat increase bad cholesterol. Your daily allowance for these is zero. The nutrients are good for you. Look for high percentages of these. Fiber is good for controlling cholesterol. If your food should have fat, salad dressing for instance, look for fat-free, low fat, reduced fat, and cholesterol free and so forth.

Pay Closer Attention To Menus

Eating out may mean a break from cooking but it doesn’t mean a break from healthy eating. Study the menu to avoid food high in cholesterol. Stick to low-fat choices. Clear soup instead of creamy, steamed or broiled instead of fried, dressing on the side are all good ideas. Choose lean meat, fish or chicken. Chicken should be skinless. Vegetables should have no butter or cheese. Be careful at the salad bar. Food high in cholesterol is bad even on a salad. If you stick to your guns, you can keep your heart healthy for a long time to come.


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