Diet Plan for Maintaining Low Cholesterol

Low Cholesterol lowers the risk of Heart Disease

Cholesterol isn’t all bad; the good cholesterol, known as HDL, is an essential fat that the cells in your body need. However, some cholesterol comes from the food you eat and some is made by your liver. It can’t dissolve in blood, so proteins carry it where it needs to go. These carriers are called “lipoproteins.” Higher levels of bad cholesterol, also known as LDL, raise your risk of heart disease.

What is low-density lipoprotein (LDL)?

LDL is a microscopic blob that’s made up of an outer rim of lipoprotein that surrounds a cholesterol center. Its full name is “low-density lipoprotein.” When a low cholesterol diet becomes a lifetime habit, it can effectively lower the quantity of saturated fat to reduce LDL cholesterol. Your body can also use more monounsaturated fats and also soluble fiber to increase HDL cholesterol.

Good healthy eating habits include reducing the amount of meat in your meals and increasing the amount of whole grains and vegetables to compensate if needed. Replace beef, pork or lamb in meals with fish or chicken. Here are some other ways to reduce LDL cholesterol with meats:

  • Choose lean cuts of meat. Beef cuts which are lean are the sirloin, round and chuck. Pork cuts which are lean are the loin chop. Lamb cuts which are lean are from the loin, arm and leg. Select USD A graded cuts of beef and lamb marked Choice and Select. These cuts are leaner than Prime.
  • Bake or broil rather than frying meat.
  • Bake or broil meat over a rack, so that the fat can drain off into a pan.
  • Before cooking, trim all visible fat from the meat.
  • Place homemade stews and soups in the refrigerator after cooking, and then the solidified fat can be skimmed off the top. The same can be done for canned soups that contain fat.
  • Choose chicken or turkey instead of duck and goose.
  • Take the skin off chicken and turkey before cooking.
  • Avoid processed meats, which are usually high in saturated fat.
  • If you are on a cholesterol lowering diet plan, eat organ meats such as liver, kidney and brain very seldom, as they are very high in cholesterol.
Aside from meats, reducing the amount of dairy fat can also be helpful in fighting high LDL levels. The fats in butter, milk and cream are saturated fats, so try to use Low-fat or fat-free milk instead of whole milk and use low-fat cottage cheese and other low-fat cheeses.

Increasing consumption of soluble fiber found in whole grains helps to lower cholesterol as well. Good sources of dietary soluble fiber include oatmeal and oat bran, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, pears and apples, whole grain pasta, and brown rice.

Trans fat acts like saturated fat raising the level of LDL cholesterol, so it’s a good idea to avoid commercially baked and fried foods such as doughnuts, French fries, cookies, muffins, hard-stick margarines, crackers, pies and cakes. Instead, go to baked or boiled foods.

Use egg whites instead of egg yolks. The cholesterol from eggs is all found in the yolks, while egg whites are an excellent source of protein and will actually help your body. You can also reduce cholesterol by consuming more monounsaturated fats, found in Canola oil, Olive oil and peanut oil.