When blood cholesterol levels are too high, the excess cholesterol binds with saturated fats in the blood to create hard plaques on the insides of the arteries that supply the heart. Over time, these plaques lead to coronary heart disease that deprives your heart muscle of oxygen and other vital nutrients. A heart-healthy diet helps eliminate excess cholesterol and reduce your risk for coronary heart disease. If you have celiac disease, your menu options will be more limited.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes your body to launch an attack whenever you ingest foods or beverages containing specific types of gluten, or plant proteins. The gluten from wheat, rye or barley triggers a response that damages the villi, or tiny finger-like projections inside your small intestine. If you continue to eat gluten, the damaged villi will lose their ability to absorb vital nutrients from the gut and you'll develop malnutrition.
TLC Diet Basics
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute recommends a therapeutic lifestyle changes, or TLC, diet as part of an overall plan to reduce your blood cholesterol level and promote heart health. The TLC diet restricts total fat intake to 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories, limits saturated fats to less than 7 percent and advises reducing your intake of trans fats below 1 percent of daily calories. The remainder of your total fat intake should come from healthier polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. The TLC diet also recommends a cholesterol intake of less 200mg per day.
Allowed Foods
When choosing heart-healthy foods, remember that five of the six foods groups are gluten-free. Stick with gluten-free healthy proteins like nuts, beans, lentils, lean meat, fish and poultry to limit your intake of cholesterol, saturated fat and trans fat. Many fresh vegetables and fruits are loaded with fiber that lowers blood cholesterol, and they're all free of gluten. You can also select frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables that don't contain thickeners, preservatives or additives containing gluten. While whole grains do a great job of lowering blood cholesterol, many contain gluten. The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center recommends gluten-free grains such as buckwheat, brown rice, quinoa, corn and tapioca.
Forbidden Foods
Stay away from grain products made from gluten-rich wheat, spelt, rye, couscous, barley, bran, orzo, semolina or matzo meal. Avoid meats, fish, poultry, potatoes and other menu items that are breaded or marinated in gluten-laden condiments such as teriyaki or soy sauce. Read labels on processed foods carefully so you don't purchase products that contain gluten in the form of malt, rice syrup or vital gluten.
Tips
The TLC diet highlights two types of gluten-free foods that are particularly effective for cholesterol management. If you have celiac disease, you can safely follow recommendations to eat at least two 3.5-oz. servings a week of fatty cold water fish such as mackerel, albacore tuna, herring, lake trout or salmon. You can also enjoy a handful of plain nuts, seeds, or legumes four times a week without worrying about gluten content.
References
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Coronary Heart Disease Explained
- National Foundation for Celiac Awareness: What is Celiac Disease?
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Introduction to the TLC Diet
- The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center: Gluten-Free Diet
- Celiac Sprue Association: Gluten-Free Diet: Basic Food Choices
