Embarking On A Low Fat Low Cholesterol Diet
The body uses food as fuel to provide the energy needed for it to function as it should. However, preferences and tastes have come to precede health concerns. High fat flavor enhancers are often used and excessively. The result is excessive body weight and high cholesterol. This is a fatty substance in the blood that has no ill effects when within normal quantities. In fact, the body naturally manufactures cholesterol. When it is high, it can lead to more serious problems like diabetes, fluid retention, heart problems and high blood pressure. It is therefore important to embark on a low fat low cholesterol diet and stick to it to evade such health problems.
A low fat low cholesterol diet would work to lower cholesterol levels in the blood and to keep it in check thereafter. This would mean reducing the amounts of animal fats consumed such as from fatty meat, eggs as well as dairy products like cheese and butter. Plants and plant products do not contain any cholesterol and should be included in a low fat low cholesterol diet. Unhealthy or saturated fats refer to those that are solid at room temperature. Trans fatty acids which are hydrogenated oils have the same effect and should be minimized. This means avoiding processed foods like pastries, biscuits, sauces, dips, deep fried foods and full fat cheeses and butter. Egg yolks, organ meat like liver and whole milk are also high in cholesterol ans are best avoided in a low fat low cholesterol diet.
On a low fat low cholesterol diet look at food labels as you shop. Products can be as labeled zero fat or sugar if they have less than half a gram of trans fat in a single serving so check if it has partially hydrogenated oil or shortening listed as an ingredient. Even on a low fat low cholesterol diet, the goal is not to do away with oil altogether but to choose healthy kinds. Some in fact help lower cholesterol. These are the type called mono saturated or poly saturated fats. These includes omega 3 fats found in oily fish and plant oil like olive, peanut, canola, sunflower, corn, safflower and rapeseed oils. Use this to cook, make salad dressings and even drizzle on bread in place of butter as part of the low fat low cholesterol diet.
Be conscious about how you prepare food. When on a low fat low cholesterol diet, it would be an exercise in futility to choose healthy foods and then cook them with additives that add rather than lower bad fat. For example, fish and other lean meats should be prepared by baking, broiling, grilling or poaching rather than deep frying or stewing with too much oil.
Sodium is also a factor when on a low fat low cholesterol diet. Most people take in more of this mineral that is needed by adding in too much salt to food. The result is that the body retains water in an attempt to counter the excess salt. Organs like the kidney and heart also get strained trying to process excess salt leading to high blood pressure. This thwarts efforts to control another ill effect of high body fat which is high blood pressure.
In very serious cases, one may be put on a no sodium or salt diet as part of a low fat low cholesterol diet. Salt intake can be controlled by avoiding processed foods that have a lot of it like bacon, crisps, soups, sauces, products canned in brine or salt water and not adding salt at the table. Try sodium free, low sodium or reduced salt varieties as well in a low fat low cholesterol diet.
Portions matter in a low fat low cholesterol diet. Even healthy food taken in excessive portions becomes unhealthy. This is also important for those who are at their ideal weight which they should strive to maintain. As a general rule, one half of a plate should be filled with vegetables and the other two halves should have equal portions of protein and carbohydrates. Snacks should be taken in between meals to avoid extreme dips in blood sugar levels. Fruit, seeds and low fat, low salt nuts are filling and healthy as part of a low fat low cholesterol diet.
There are myths surrounding carbohydrates that are misleading. One is that a person on a low fat low cholesterol diet should avoid them. The key is choosing complex carbohydrates. These are the kind that take long to be broken and digested and thus keep one feeling full for longer. The healthiest kinds are natural foods like whole meal bread and pastries which are prepared from whole wheat flour rather than processed or white flour. Whole wheat, low fat breakfast cereals, muffins and bagels are also a good choice for a low fat low cholesterol diet.
Finally, a low fat low cholesterol diet should include exercise to get rid of excess body fat and strengthen muscles. Even continuous, vigorous exercise like walking or bicycling done for at half an hour every day makes a difference. If possible though, working out at a gym where one can be monitored and taken through exercises that work all the muscles at least thrice a week is recommended alongside the low fat low cholesterol diet.