Cholesterol diet : eating healthy for life

A Low Cholesterol Diet: Eating Healthy For Life

One of the great features of dieting is not only will you lose weight and look better, you can also achieve greater health with just a few simple changes.

The low cholesterol diet is one such programme that will have you focussing in on limiting the unhealthy fats in your diet while still allowing you a wide range of wonderful foods.

Generally these diets require typical easy to prepare and easy to find types of foods. They also tend to focus on fruits and vegetables , whole grains and smaller amounts of lean meats.

Fats and Oils

Trans fats or saturated fats are avoided on a this diet. They are replaced by monounsaturated fats like olive oil or canola oils (more on olive oil health) . Additionally high quality vegetable oil, which is a good source of healthy polyunsaturated fats can also be used for cooking and food preparation.

Some nut oils, flax oils and grape seed oils can also be a good addition to healthy low cholesterol meals and foods.

Margarines that contain partially hydrogenated oils should be eliminated from the diet as these are particularly harmful in adding to the bad cholesterol levels in the body. There are healthy alternatives out there that contain no trans fats, perfect for use on this diet.

Remove processed grains and white flour products from your diet and replace them with healthy whole grains. These can include oats, wheat, rye, barley, brown rice, amaranth, couscous, millet, quinoa and wild rice. Less commonly consumed whole grains include bulgur, flaxseed, spelt and wheat berries.

Whole grains decrease the carbohydrates in starchy foods like breads and help to balance blood sugar, add fibre and help to decrease bad cholesterol in the body. They also help you to stay feeling full and satisfied without cravings after or between meals.

Low Cholesterol Meats

You can consume controlled amounts of lean meats on a low cholesterol diet. Avoid red meats, especially the fatty cuts, and only eat red meat on an infrequent basis. Trimming all visible fat will help with cholesterol reduction but internal fat or marbling is still present in steaks, roasts and hamburger.

A good low cholesterol option to red meat is venison, which is available in some retail groceries. Other options include skinless poultry products and fish such as salmon and cod. Bake, broil or grill rather than frying or cooking in a batter for the healthiest preparation.

Dairy Products

Stay to the low fat dairy products but don't cut dairy completely out of the diet. Yoghurt, low fat cheeses, milk and even low fat or fat free cream is a good alternative to the whole milk products.

Dairy products should be consumed in limited amounts as they can add calories rapidly if eaten in larger quantities. (more on calorie chart dairy products)

Fruits and Vegetables

All forms of fresh fruits and vegetables are a good addition to any type of low cholesterol diet. Most vegetables can be consumed in virtually unlimited quantities but some, such as the starchy vegetables, need to be limited to avoid high carbohydrate levels that can result in weight gain. Fruits are a healthy source of natural sugars, fibre and a variety of vitamins and minerals necessary for health.

Related articles :

Reasons to lose weight : avoid cholesterol

Lower cholesterol : how to do it





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