Warning, Cholesterol (Place Skull And Crossbones Here)

Lowering your dietary intake of cholesterol is recommended to maintain overall good health. Here are a few dietary precepts you would need to follow.

Reduce each of the following from your diet.

Fats, especially saturated fats. Baked goods and margarine, as well as other products containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Dairy fats, such as whole milk, cheese made with whole milk, butter, egg yolks, sour cream. Lard and vegetable oil. Beef, especially those that contain lots of fat. Alcoholic drinks. Products that include, or are made of refined sugar and flour.

As hydrogenated fats and animal fats solidify when at room temperature, their content of LDL (also known as the “bad” cholesterol” becomes more evident. These are the fats you want to avoid like the plague – also known commonly as “trans fats.” Food items that have the word “hydrogenated” and/or “trans fat” on the label might as well have a skull with crossbones superimposed on a black background. But what a sweet poison indeed – foods that contain trans fat are usually the foods we find most delicious, like cake, pie, cookies, chips and fast food. These foods also usually contain refined sugars and flours, making them doubly bad for cholesterol levels.

Instead, use these.

Fruits and vegetables (a total no-brainer) – most of them do not have cholesterol, and in fact help in lowering cholesterol. Whole-grain breads and cereals. Low-fat or skim milk, yogurt, sour cream and cheeses. Canola oil or EVOO, aka extra virgin olive oil. Fish, chicken and turkey. Legumes, including nuts. Garlic. Margarine that contains plant sterol esters, which aid in reducing cholesterol levels.

Foods high in fiber have the added benefit of helping to absorb and eliminate cholesterol from the intestines. Examples of foods rich in fiber include fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Certain fruits such as blackberries, cranberries, apples and citrus have high pectin content, which can also abet the reduction of cholesterol in the system.

Putting it into Practice

We will not lie to you – it is not easy to implement a sea change when it comes to lifestyle and eating, especially if your bad habits are those that have been with you since you were old enough to eat. However, you may want to start out small and not quit all these bad habits cold turkey. Set a small, short-term goal, such as switching to low-fat dairy products and whole grain breads. Now once your taste buds are duly habituated to the new and healthier flavors, you will want to make yet another minute change, such as slowly integrating fruit and veg into your everyday meals. Perhaps you can try something a little more drastic after that – ever considered life without soda or beer, and life with healthful and wholesome water as your drink of choice?

Perhaps the most challenging part of changing one’s diet would be the elimination of all forms of refined sugars and flours. Refined fours and sugars can be very addictive, giving the body a ‘sugar rush’ that may be hard to live without at first. But there are healthier ways to get a quasi-sugar rush, such as using Splenda ™ instead of sugar – this is a form of sucralose sweetener.

Make each step small and be patient, waiting for the change to become easy. It may take a year or two, but eventually, persistence will pay off, and a new healthier diet will be habit.

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