1. Skip the Cholesterol, Please
With a bit of planning, preparation and creativity, modifying recipes for a low cholesterol diet is possible. If you're interested in following a low cholesterol diet, it's not always necessary to cook or bake with specific recipes. It's possible to enjoy some of your favorite recipes with some easy substitutions.
2. Meet a Different Type of Meat
Red meat is high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Eliminating meat, particularly red meat, from your usual recipes is an easy way to reduce the saturated fat and cholesterol content. When you're making soups or stews, use tofu, seitan or vegetarian burger crumbles instead of meat. If you prefer not to forgo red meat, choose the leanest cut possible and reduce the amount the recipe requires.
3. Bake Without Cholesterol
When preparing baked goods, skip the eggs. Use a powdered egg replacer, such as potato starch or use blended tofu instead of eggs. Substitute skim milk for whole milk when baking. Reduce the fat content even further by using soy or rice milk. If you still prefer to bake with eggs, use egg whites instead. It might take some time to tweak your favorite recipes, but there are multiples ways to substitute for eggs in a recipe. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed in 3 tablespoons of hot water, and use the mixture in place of 1 egg.
4. Don't Dread Dessert
Dessert is a popular part of a multi-course meal, but it also presents an opportunity for added cholesterol. Try some low-cholesterol alternatives so you can still enjoy dessert but avoid cholesterol at the same time. Just a half cup of ice cream has 120 mg of cholesterol. Skip the ice cream and go for the no-cholesterol options. Try your favorite flavor of sorbet or a homemade frozen fruit creation. Slice bananas and freeze them for an hour. Blend frozen banana slices with maple syrup. The end result is a frozen concoction that is just as tasty as ice cream, minus the cholesterol.
5. Tips for Modifying Recipes
When modifying a recipe to eliminate or reduce the cholesterol, identify the top 2 or 3 cholesterol-containing ingredients and aim to replace those. Sometimes it's not possible to prepare a recipe with low cholesterol options. Modifying recipes to fit a low cholesterol diet really takes a lot of trial and error. Realize that you'll most likely make numerous mistakes before you find some really great recipes. Once you find those favorite recipes, you'll realize your effort has paid off.
