Foods
that Help Lower Cholesterol
Studies show
that the typical American diet consists of 70% carbohydrates and 30%
saturated
fats. Examine your diet - does it follow this pattern? Heart doctors
recommend
that saturated fats make up no more than 10% of the daily diet.
Saturated fats
are found in animal meats and dairy products (whole milk, cheese, ice
cream,
butter). They are fats that are solid at room temperatures. Also as troublesome as
saturated fats are trans fats. These are found in off-the-shelf donuts,
cookies, cupcakes and in French fries and potato chips. Trans fats and
saturated fats are termed ‘bad fats’ these are fats
that will clog up your
arteries and eventually lead to heart attacks and/or strokes. In short -
their
consumption should be limited.
On the
other hand – there are ‘good fats’. These
are polyunsaturated and
monounsaturated fats and are found in vegetable oils such as olive,
canola, and
in peanuts, and in nuts. Where ever possible substitute the good fats for
the bad
ones. For example instead of eating a snack of potato chips, eat a
handful of
almonds – your heart will appreciate it and your cholesterol
will drop to
reflect this change in eating habits.
Probably
the biggest problem with diets today is the switch to fast food. Fast
food is
loaded with bad fats and unneeded carbohydrates. In the recent (2004)
documentary ‘Super Size Me’, the author ate only
fast food for a month. He
gained twenty-five pounds, his cholesterol went up 60 points, and in
the end he felt
horrible. Three weeks out, his doctors advised him to stop eating only
fast food because they were afraid for his long-term health. Many times
after he ate, he had hunger cravings even though he
realized he
could not possibly be hungry. He developed a pot belly of visceral
fat –
the worse kind. In short, he went from a healthy young man to an obese
man in
dangerously poor health – in just a month!
Cholesterol
comes from two sources: the body and from your diet. Plants do not
produce
cholesterol, so if a person limits the amount of animal products he or
she eats
they also limit the dietary cholesterol their body must contend with.
Because of heredity, some
bodies produce too much cholesterol – these people should
work closely with
their doctors to keep their cholesterol levels under control. For the
rest of
us, we must limit the amount of fast foods, meats, and sweets we eat.
Foods that
help lower cholesterol are the natural ones. If you must go to a fast
food
restaurant, get a multi-colored salad with a low fat dressing and a
water to
drink. Have apples (or other fresh fruit) for snacks. For supper have a
colorful
vegetable salad, a lean cut (4 ounces) of red meat, and broccoli or
peas or
another fresh, unprocessed vegetable. At least twice a week eat cold-water fish (again 4
ounces)
such as salmon. Avoid potatoes and white flour. When you bake use
whole-wheat,
stone-ground flour. When you fry use olive or canola oil. For breakfast
have
bran flakes or oatmeal and orange juice. Eat only whole-wheat (or some
other
grain), stone-crushed bread.
Examine the labels of off-the-shelf sweets
– if
they list hydrogenated fats or trans fats - avoid them. Don’t
eat chicken or
turkey skin. Eat more vegetables with you meals – vegetables
are loaded with
heart-friendly and cholesterol-lowering nutrients. Fresh fruits are the
same
they are heart friendly and will lower cholesterol. Eat smaller
portions –
American portions are way too large. Substitute soy milk for dairy milk
-
you’ll eliminate this source of bad fat and even get more
calcium. Drink a
4-ounce glass of red wine with the
supper meal. Use margarine instead of butter, but check the label for
trans
fats or saturated fats.
For lunch have plain, low-fat yogurt mixed
with fresh fruit. You can add a flavored protein powder to the yogurt
to improve the taste.
In summary, eat smaller
portions, limit your intake of animal products, eat fresh fruits or
vegetables, and eat 4 ounces of meat or cold-water fish a day.
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