Dietary
Recommendations For Controlling Cholesterol
* Limit your intake
of dietary cholesterol
Dietary cholesterol can raise your
blood cholesterol level. According to recent national nutrition surveys,
the average American man gets about 337 milligrams of cholesterol a day
from food – the average woman, about 217 milligrams. The American Heart
Association recommends that you limit cholesterol from food to an average
of no more than 300 milligrams per day (note: people with coronary
heart disease should limit their intake to under 200 miligrams per day).
* Limit your intake of saturated fat and
trans fatty acids
Saturated fat, trans fatty acids and dietary cholesterol raise blood
cholesterol, but monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats don't (some
studies suggest that they might even help lower LDL cholesterol slightly).
It is important to "know your fats"!
The chart
below summarizes the limitation we should place
on our consumption of dietary cholesterol and fats
| |
Total
Fat |
Saturated
Fat |
Cholesterol
|
| People
without coronary heart disease |
30%
or less of total calories |
7—10%
of total calories or less |
Less
than 300 mg per day |
| People
with coronary heart disease |
30%
or less of total calories |
Less
than 7% of total calories |
Less
than 200 mg per day |
-- Click
here to learn about how different kinds
of dietary fats can effect your body --
* Control your overall
caloric intake
A common
pitfall many Americans make is eating too many refined foods such as
pasta, white bread, and fat free treats. When eaten in too large of
quantities these seemingly healthy foods cannot be burned off by the
body and instead are stored in the body as fat. The key to maintaining
a healthy diet is to maintain a healthy balance of carbohydrates (50-60%),
protein (25-30%), and fat (20-30%). You will find that not only will
you lose weight and lower cholesterol levels by eating a balanced diet,
but you will also have more energy and feel better.
* Eat foods known to have
a positive effect on cholesterol levels
The medical community is constantly learning more about how consumption
of various foods can have potentially positive effects on cholesterol
levels. One such food is soy protein. In October of 1999, the Food and
Drug Administration approved a soy protein health claim, linking dietary
soy protein with the reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Consuming
25 grams of soy protein or more can lower LDL levels, thus reducing
the risk for coronary heart disease. Soy is also an excellent source
of important minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorous, and potassium,
as well as dietary fiber and high-quality protein. Although soy is not
particularly low in fat, it contains mostly the preferred unsaturated
kind of fat, and only a small amount of the more harmful saturated fat.
|
