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.