Low cholesterol foods – what are they, and how can you take advantage of them?
So, what low cholesterol foods should you be eating? In short, fruits and vegetables are all low in cholesterol, as are whole grains, whereas foods that are animal products are generally high in cholesterol. This means that eating red meat often and in large quantities is a bad decision as far as your cholesterol levels go, so too are egg yolks, and while fish and poultry also contain cholesterol, there is less in these than in red meat.
Now, this is where it gets a little more complicated. Eating low cholesterol foods is good for you, so by eating fruits and veggies will be helping your cholesterol levels. But at the same time you need to be eating foods that are low in saturated fat, and low in trans fat too. This is because saturated fats increase the blood cholesterol level more than cholesterol itself does. Trans fats or trans fatty acids also increase blood cholesterol. This means that what you need to look for when going grocery shopping is low cholesterol foods, and foods low in trans fat, and low in saturated fat.
This does limit the menu a little more, but if you can eat healthily and lower your blood cholesterol levels by eating better, then you will be helping your body’s health a great deal. The consequences of not eating well are heart attacks and strokes, or if you discover in time that your cholesterol levels are bad, then your doctor may put you on medication to control it.
To go into which low cholesterol foods you can eat, we’ll look more carefully at what low cholesterol foods are good for you. As mentioned before fruits and vegetables are good for you, since they are not animal products, obviously, and therefore do not contain cholesterol themselves. You should try to eat at least 3 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, as these have no cholesterol and are low in all fat. Remember that saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away, well it turns out that apples can help to lower your cholesterol.
Legumes, or pulses as they are also called, or otherwise known as dried beans, peas and lentils are also good, and because these contain plant protein, they can be used to replace red meat in your diet once or twice a week. Canned beans are also good to use, but remember to drain and rinse the beans before use, to remove the sodium that they have been stored in. Serve legumes with whole brown rice, and you have an inexpensive but tasty meal that has protein as well as carbohydrates in it. The protein is needed to keep your muscles healthy, as well as hair, blood, tendons, and your internal organs.
Now nuts are also good for you to eat when you are wanting to eat low cholesterol foods, as they help to reduce blood cholesterol. Eating a handful of almonds, or walnuts, even peanuts, pecans or hazelnuts will help, but don’t eat too many each day, or you will find your weight increasing, and that is probably not to be recommended.
Oatmeal is very good for reducing blood cholesterol levels, so it is a great way to start your day. It has about 4 grams of fibre in a cup and a half of oatmeal and this will help to lower your cholesterol. If you combine the oatmeal with a banana, then that adds another 4 grams of fibre, which helps your body even more.
For your low cholesterol diet, cut down on the butter, cream, and even the fat in milk, so use skim milk or 1% rather than whole milk or 2 % milk. Cut down on trans fats, preferably replacing them with olive oil (extra virgin olive oil is best), canola oil or you could replace them with plant sterol in the form of a spread. Sterols from plants can help to reduce your blood cholesterol, and in fact this is now added to orange juice along with plant stanols so that they can work together to block the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream.
Eat fish 2 or 3 times a week, especially fatty fish like sardines, herrings and salmon. Cut down on using butter in sauces or for sauteing vegetables, use olive oil (extra virgin is best as it is preocessed less than light olive oil which is light only in color, not calories), or canola oil, or use herbs and spices instead of fat. Try not to cook in fat, you could try using white vinegar which will keep the pan moist, but apparently not flavour the food. I haven’t tried this yet, I must admit, but if it keeps me healthier, it is certainly worth a try.
Eat fewer egg yolks – you could switch to egg whites which do not contain the high levels of cholesterol that the yolks do. Many say that garlic and onions can lower your cholesterol, as well as your blood pressure, and they say it improves circulation too. However, I have seen other reports that deny this.
As you can see from the foods mentioned above, you actually have quite a lot of flexibility and choice in what you can eat, while still helping your cholesterol reach acceptable levels. And it is much better to change your diet, than to have to take prescribed medications to stop your threatened heart attacks and strokes. So, cut down on the fats you eat, eat your fruits and vegetables, while reducing the amount of red meat that you consume, by reducing the portion size that you eat, or the frequency of eating it.
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