It's a fact that some cholesterol in our bodies comes from the foods we eat. If
you and your family eat a typical American-style diet consisting of high-fat
foods — often in larger portions — you may actually be eating less healthfully
than you would be with a traditional Hispanic diet consisting of rice, beans,
and grains.
So when you're trying to lower your cholesterol, it's important to avoid the
foods that can increase cholesterol and add more of the foods that can help
reduce it. For example, foods high in saturated fat, like regular hamburgers and
fried foods, can increase the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood, and
the excess calories in these foods can cause weight gain. On the other hand,
low-fat, high-fiber foods can help you lose weight and improve your health
generally.
General guidelines for a cholesterol-friendly diet
You should ask your doctor for help with a diet that makes sense for you, but
here are some guidelines for choosing healthy foods, recommended by the
American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health.
Limit high-fat foods
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Fatty red meats and organ meats
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Butter
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Lard
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Tropical oils (coconut, palm, palm kernel)
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Bacon
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Whole milk and whole-milk dairy products (cheese, yogurt, ice cream)
Substitute low-fat foods
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Fruits
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Vegetables
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Fish, chicken (skinless), and lean meats
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Whole-grain cereals, pastas, and rice
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Fat-free or 1% milk
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Fat-free or low-fat yogurt
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Olive or vegetable oil
Preparing the foods you love in healthier ways
Switching to a low-cholesterol diet doesn't have to mean completely giving up
all the foods you and your family enjoy — and it certainly doesn't mean giving
up on flavor. It could simply mean preparing those foods in healthier ways or
managing portion sizes better.
Some suggestions for healthier cooking methods include
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Using low-fat cooking methods such as baking, broiling, steaming, or even
microwaving instead of frying your foods
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Limiting the amount of salt you use when preparing foods and using other spices
to give your meals flavor instead
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Using vegetable oil instead of butter or lard
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Choosing leaner cuts of meat and removing any visible fat
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Removing skin from chicken or other poultry before cooking
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Replacing beef with turkey in some recipes
Also, it's helpful to look at the labels on food products closely and to
understand what each of the terms means, so that you can find more
cholesterol-friendly foods.