1. Less is More
Cholesterol comes from animal products, including meat and eggs; however, if you simply cannot imagine a vegetarian lifestyle, you can still lower the cholesterol content of meals by learning to properly prepare eggs and select low cholesterol meats. Try to limit as much red and dark meat as possible, choosing the leanest cuts of meat that you can find. Organ meats, such as brain, liver and kidneys, should be avoided entirely, as they are highest in cholesterol. Additionally, substituting red and dark meats with white poultry meat or fish is a great way to lower cholesterol in entrees. Finally, eggs are a big cholesterol myth, but their cholesterol content is all in the yoke. In the majority of recipes which call for eggs, you can separate the yolks from the whites, keeping the protein and tossing the cholesterol.
2. Methods Make the Difference
Bake, steam or broil, but don't fry. If you must add oils when cooking, choose cold pressed vegetable oils, such as olive oil, sunflower or safflower oil which not only help to lower cholesterol while cooking, they may actually help to reduce cholesterol in your blood. When cooking meats, always cut off as much fat as you can. As for skins, they can left on to keep the meat moist, but should be removed before eating.
3. Very Vegetable
Make vegetables your entree and meats your side. Limiting your meat and dairy portions and increasing your portions of vegetables not only helps to limit cholesterol in a diet, it also increases the nutrient content of each meal, ensuring that you get all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Remember, instead of boiling or frying your veggies, steam them, leaving the peels on whenever possible.
4. Grains are Great
Whole grains should be a regular food staple in your daily diet, as they help you to feel full, are fiber-rich to aid in digestion and elimination and they help to absorb fat in your blood. Pastas and breads should always be whole wheat, as processed and refined flours can actually harm your health. Oatmeal, bran and wheat germ are more fantastic grains that can help to balance your diet.
5. The Price of Packaging
Refined animal fats are the most common means of keeping packed foods tasty, meaning almost anything found in a package will contain some amount of cholesterol. Try to keep prepare meals from fresh, unpacked foods, always reading labels carefully if you must go with a bagged or boxed food.
