Some nutrition tips to look after your cholesterol levels
High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. If you have high levels or have been told you need to reduce your cholesterol levels, these tips listed by MJ Food Group will help.
Vegetables – Aim for 5 serves per day as they contain soluble fibre which helps to lower blood cholesterol. Remember, one Vegetable serve only equals ½ cup of cooked vegetables or 1 cup of salad vegetables so 5-a-day should be an easy target.
Fruit – Hit your serves every day (2 – 3 serves). Fruit, like vegetables, contains soluble fibre which helps to lower blood cholesterol.
Dairy – Choose low or reduced-fat dairy products. reduce your intake of butter or switch from butter to a polyunsaturated or monounsaturated table spread to cut down on saturated fat.
Protein – Choose lean meats and avoid skin on chicken. Trim fat from meats, limit fatty processed meats such as salami and sausages. Eat fish twice a week, preferably more often. Although eggs do contain cholesterol, it is alright to eat up to 6 per week as the cholesterol in eggs has only a insignificant effect on LDL cholesterol
Healthy oils – Use sunflower, canola or olive oil in cooking and in salad dressings. Choose unsalted nuts as a healthy snack. Table spreads containing plant-sterols can reduce cholesterol absorption provided you consume 2g of plant sterols every day. That’s equal to around 25g of spread and can really up your calorie intake. Choose the lowest energy content options such as Flora Pro-Activ Ultra-Light margarine.
Starches – Always eat grainy bread over regular white bread. Choose wholegrain Starch products such as wholemeal pasta and brown rice. For a fibre boost top your morning cereal with psyllium husks or oat bran which are both high in soluble fibre.
Extras (those snacks) – Limit biscuits, cakes and pastries that can contain hidden saturated fat. Limit deep-fried takeaways, potato chips and other fatty snack foods. Drink no more than 2 standard drinks per day and aim to have at least three alcohol-free days per week.
Combine the above food tips with regular exercise and you will improve your blood cholesterol profile as well as enhancing your metabolic fitness.