How To Plan A Diet For Low Cholesterol

By: Nya Bruce

Break Studios Contributing Writer

If you've ever tried to eat healthy, you've probably wondered how to plan a diet for low cholesterol consumption and decided it was much easier to talk about than to actually do. High cholesterol is a serious health problem, as it can lead to a multitude of serious or even deadly issues, not the least of which are heart attacks and strokes. However, thanks to advances in the science of nutrition, planning healthy diets to lower your cholesterol levels is no longer as hard as it sounds. The key to planning a diet for low cholesterol is to replace high cholesterol ingredients with low cholesterol or cholesterol-fighting foods.

Learn the difference between good and bad cholesterol. For the purpose of nutrition and dieting, you should understand the difference between two types of cholesterol. One type is high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which is known as the good cholesterol, while the bad cholesterol is identified as low-density lipoproteins (LDL). A low HDL count and a high LDL count are what present a serious threat to your health and is something to be avoided.
Get familiar with the superfoods that work to reduce bad cholesterol. Foods high in soluble fiber, such as oatmeal, apples, kidney beans and pears, will prevent LDL from being absorbed into your body. While fish is known for its cholesterol, certain fish like salmon, halibut and mackerel are high in Omega-3 fatty acids which increase the amount of HDLs in your bloodsteam. Also consider eating nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, which both reduce LDLs and raise HDLs. If you use oil, consider using the more expensive olive oil, which lowers your LDL count with antioxidants.
Cut the saturated fat from your diet. To plan your diet for lower cholesterol, switch to lean meats such as chicken breast or fish, and stay away from fried chicken. Look for foods that are higher in polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats and avoid foods that are high in hydrogenated or saturated fats. Limit your total fats to no more than a third of your calorie intake.
Use egg substitutes and nonfat dairy products. Egg substitutes tend to use only egg whites (with yellow food coloring) and as a result are zero-cholesterol foods. You can make anything that requires eggs by using egg substitutes , and cut down drastically on your cholesterol intake. Use nonfat milk and other nonfat dairy products to further reduce the amount of cholesterol in your diet, and use tub margarine instead of stick margarine.