subject: What's in a Good Diet for High Cholesterol? [print this page] What's in a Good Diet for High Cholesterol?
Changing to a good diet for high cholesterol can be a real challenge for some people. But it's important to try because cholesterol health matters. It may even save your life.
There's no question that it's tough to change your eating habits, especially since you're bombarded by hundreds of commercial messages everyday inviting you to eat food that contributes to high blood cholesterol and other conditions like atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and a variety of other diseases and disorders.
But once you commit to lowering your cholesterol, you'll be pleased to discover that lots of healthy foods taste pretty good after all.
Types of Fat and Your Cholesterol Levels
Our bodies produce all the cholesterol we need naturally. But it also comes from other sources - namely, fats in the food we eat.
So let's explore what's in a good diet for high cholesterol by examining different kinds of fats. We'll start off with the bad stuff.
Saturated fats - These are typically found in animal meat (especially red meat). They're also in coconut oil, palm oil etc .
Trans fats - This is the type of fat you get stuff that, unfortunately, can be found in some of our favorite foods like ?baked goods (cake, muffins, doughnuts, croissants etc.) This is the type of fat you typically find in fast-food restaurants (especially if they serve french fries). Much of the food that comes in cardboard boxes or plastic wrappers contain excessive amounts of trans fats (along with lots of blood pressure-raising salt).
Good Fats That Help Lower Cholesterol
It might surprise you to know that not all fats are bad. In fact, some are downright healthy. These include:
Polyunsaturated fats - These come from vegetable oils & fish oils. They comparatively reduce blood cholesterol when consumed in moderation.
Monounsaturated fats - This type comes from sunflower seeds, peanuts, olive oil, etc. They actually lower your cholesterol levels.
Formulating a diet that will bring your cholesterol back into a healthy range means you have to become an educated consumer. You do it by carefully reading information about types and amounts of fats on the labels of foods you buy - especially if that food comes in plastic wrappers, metal cans or cardboard boxes.
Certain foods are cholesterol friendly. They either have no cholesterol, or very little. Most fruits and vegetables fall into this category. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries are especially good and can even be a decent substitute for high-calorie desserts.
Several different kinds of nuts, especially almonds and walnuts are good. These also make handy snacks and you can eat them several times a day (but be watchful of calories).
Oat bran or oatmeal, certain cooked beans like pinto beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans or chick peas will help you keep cholesterol levels down.
Soy, which you get from tofu, tempeh, soymilk, roasted soy nuts: these are also cholesterol-friendly.
Many types of fish will help you reduce your cholesterol levels too. Some of the best are albacore tuna, herring, lake trout, mackerel, sardines and salmon. These provide an essential fatty acid called omega-3. Fish is also a good source of low-calorie protein.
It's too bad that so many people with high cholesterol levels avoid following a low cholesterol diet because they believe such diets are tasteless and boring. But when you really take a look at all the options you have, you'll find that a good diet for high cholesterol can be a lot more interesting than you thought.
