A low-fat, low-cholesterol diet can help you lose weight, have a healthier heart and live a healthier life. Many diets, like the American Heart Association's No-Fad Diet, are naturally low in fat and cholesterol. Such diets are designed to minimize fat, cholesterol and calories while providing the micronutrients and macronutrients your body needs to promote good health.
About Dietary Fat
Dietary fat is a substance found in the foods you eat. It can occur naturally in foods or be added in through oils, condiments and dressings. Some fat is necessary in your diet. It is important for proper growth and development, it provides energy and it can keep you satiated. Fats can be either saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fats and trans fats are those fats that are solid at room temperature. Saturated fats are found in animal products like beef and pork, while trans fats are found in shortening, margarine and many processed foods. Saturated and trans fats can lead to clogged arteries and heart disease. If you do eat fat, opt for unsaturated fats from plant sources like nuts, seeds and vegetables.
About Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that you make in your body or take in from dietary sources. Your body needs some cholesterol, but it usually produces enough on its own without additional intake of dietary cholesterol. There are two types of cholesterol -- high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the "good" cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the "bad" cholesterol. Too much LDL increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes, and can lead to clogged arteries. HDL keeps LDL from sticking to artery walls. Dietary cholesterol is found in animal foods, and eating trans or saturated fats can increase LDL cholesterol.
Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Diet Guidelines
A low-fat, low-cholesterol diet minimizes the amount of fatty and cholesterol-laden foods you eat. The best way to get a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet is to eat natural, unprocessed foods including a wide variety of fruits and vegetables; healthy whole grains like oats and whole wheat; lean animal proteins like fish, egg whites and white meat poultry; vegetable proteins like soy and legumes; and fat-free dairy products like skim yogurt.
Foods to Avoid
The foods you avoid are as important as the foods you eat on a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. Avoid fatty animal proteins like beef and pork. Minimize your intake of processed and prepackaged foods, which may contain high levels of trans fats. Skip fatty fast foods like hamburgers and french fries and avoid fried foods. Full-fat dairy, like cheese, cream and butter, are also high in saturated fat and should be avoided. If you eat nuts and seeds, minimize the quantity you eat. While nuts and seeds contain unsaturated fats, they are still high in fat. A 1-oz. serving of nuts daily will help you stay healthy while minimizing fat. Avoid fatty condiments, as well, such as mayonnaise and salad dressing. Minimize the amount of oil that you add to your foods, including unsaturated fats. There is enough fat in the foods you eat that adding additional fat is unnecessary.
Tips
Talk to your doctor about a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet as a way to control or prevent heart disease. Replace fatty and high-cholesterol foods with healthier options, like fresh fruits and vegetables. Become a label sleuth and read labels carefully when you eat processed foods that come in cans, packets, bags, jars and boxes. The best way to avoid cholesterol and fat is to eat healthy, fresh, whole foods. Use cooking techniques like grilling and broiling that minimize fats in foods.
