Cholesterol is a saturated fat in our blood, a high cholesterol level is unhealthy, and makes your organism prone to heart diseases. Now, what causes excesive LDL (low-density lipoprotein) in our body? The answer is, the consumption of foods that contain saturated fat (sausages, bacon, fried foods breaded in hot oil, liver, full-fat dairy products and processed meat).
The following diet will help you reduce the level of harmful fats and increase the level of good ones in your body.
TLC Diet( Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes)
This is a low-cholesterol eating plan, that claims that you have to get only 7% of calories from saturated fat and have a less than 200 mg cholesterol intake a day. The diet defined the following principles:
When trying to lower your cholesterol level consume the leanest poultry, shellfish, fish and meats.
Eat fish like cod that contains less saturated fat than chicken or meat. Always remove the skin from the chicken or turkey. Limit the total intake of saturated fat to 5 ounces or less a day. When buying a turkey or chicken, choose pieces with their skin already removed. White meat always contain less saturated fat than red meat. Goose and duck are rich in saturated fat, rather opt for chicken or turkey. Fish contains lower fat than poultry.
Veggies are great as substitutes for meat – dry beans and peas, have a lower level of saturated fat and cholesterol. Add ½ cup of beans to pasta, vegetable dishes and soups.
Egg yolks are tricky stuff, each yolk has 213 milligrams of cholesterol, that’s why their consumption must be limited to 2 yolks a week. On the other hand egg whites have no cholesterol, use them in your favorite dishes.
Concerning milk, you should buy fat free 1% milk and not 2% one, these contain a reduced level of cholesterol.
Replace saturated fat with unsaturated fat, choose liquid vegetable oils as: corn, olive, sesame, soybean and sunflower oil.
Buy margarine made of vegetable oil as ingredients to your favorite dishes, avoid butter and solid shortenings.
Fruits and vegetables: at least 3 or 5 servings of fruits and vegetables are recommended a day. These contain a low level of saturated fat. For those who have a high level of cholesterol a fruit or vegetable diet can do miracles. Eat them as snacks, salads, side dishes.
Bakery products, pasta, rice and cereals similarly to dry beans are rich in fiber and low in saturated fat. It is recommended to eat from 6 to 10 servings of this category each day. Avoid eating bakery products made of saturated fat as pastries, biscuits and muffins.
Opt for sweets with low saturated fat: frozen bananas, grapes, dried fruits, popcorn, pretzels, raw vegetables, cereals with no added sugar etc.