Weight-loss and low-cholesterol diets involve eating more heart-healthy foods and eating fewer foods that can add to your cholesterol count or your weight. Effective diets show you how to eat satisfying food that is also healthy, and how to make other positive lifestyle changes. Choosing these diets can help you improve your overall health as well as lower your risks of developing cardiovascular disease.
"Life's Simple Seven"
This diet from the American Heart Association can help with weight loss and cholesterol levels. It includes a variety of heart-healthy foods such whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein and low-fat or no-fat dairy products. It also recommends eating fish twice a week and eating plant-based unsaturated fats instead of animal-based fats. Unsaturated fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated varieties. Unsaturated oil sources including sunflowers, cottonseed, canola, peanut and olive. This diet also recommends other heart-healthy behaviors such as avoiding tobacco, managing blood pressure, monitoring sugar levels and getting 30 minutes of moderately brisk exercise on five or more days per week.
"Healthy Balance Diet"
This diet, recommended by the American Academy of Family Physicians, focuses on how foods and exercise play a major role in weight loss and lowering cholesterol levels. Losing just 10 percent of your body weight can lower your cholesterol levels and heart disease risk. The diet recommends that, in addition to exercise, you avoid transfats and saturated fats, eat no more than four egg yolks a week and avoid fried foods or other high-fat foods. This diet describes the six food groups needed for a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet: fruits, vegetables, meats and beans, dairy, grains and fats. Your daily consumption should include 2 cups of fruit, 3 ounces of whole grains or 6 ounces of total grains, 2-1/2 cups of vegetables and 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods. Heart-healthy food preparation methods include poaching, steaming, grilling or broiling.
"Healthy Eating Plan"
This diet plan, developed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, focuses on losing weight by consuming 500 fewer calories daily. Eating a healthy diet consisting of plant-based foods, portion control, exercising and calorie monitoring can help with weight loss and slow progression of heart disease. The diet suggests women consume between 1,000-1,200 calories daily and men consume 1,200-1,600 calories daily to lose weight. The plan recommends keeping an exercise and food diary.
References
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Healthy Eating Plan
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Aim for Healthy Weight
- American Heart Association: Healthy Diet Goals
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Healthy Balance for Healthy Heart
- American Academy of Family Physicians: How to Make Healthier Food Choices
