Cholesterol is an important part of your body's ability to function, especially when it comes to the production of hormones and maintaining healthy cells. However, consuming too much cholesterol through fatty foods can contribute to the development of serious cardiovascular health problems. If you recently were informed that your cholesterol levels are too high, or if you want to prevent your cholesterol from getting out of hand, a low fat and low cholesterol diet may be the right option for you.
Bad Fats
When looking at a low fat and low cholesterol diet, it's important to understand the different types of fats in foods. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, it's not the amount of fat you eat but the types of fat you eat. Fats can be broken down into saturated, unsaturated and trans fats. Low fat and low cholesterol diets focus on removing saturated and trans fats from your diet. Saturated fats largely come from red meats and full-fat dairy products, but all animal proteins carry some amount of saturated fats. Trans fats can be found in most commercially prepared baked goods, as well as in fried foods in restaurants that use hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Good Fats
With a low fat diet, it is important not to cut out the good fats that can counteract high levels of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol. Good fats include monounsaturated fats, such as those found in avocados, nuts and seeds, and polyunsaturated fats, which can be found in soybeans, flax seed and many types of fish. Good fats help lower bad cholesterol levels by providing the good form of cholesterol called high-density lipoprotein, or HDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol helps transport LDL, low-density lipoprotein, out of the bloodstream.
Benefits
When you eat a diet low in bad fats and cholesterol, you help reduce LDL levels in your bloodstream. When you eat high-fat, high-cholesterol foods, you flood the bloodstream with LDL cholesterol. Too much LDL cholesterol can lead to buildup; cholesterol can calcify into plaque on the sides of your blood vessels. As the plaque grows, blood flow is affected. According to the American Heart Association, this can put you at a higher risk for serious health complications, including heart disease, stroke and heart attack. By providing good fats in your diet, you can increase your HDL cholesterol, which helps transport bad cholesterol out of the bloodstream and back to the liver where it can be removed from the body.
Goals
When starting a low fat, low cholesterol diet, it's important to keep in mind what a healthy cholesterol level should be. According to the American Heart Association, your LDL cholesterol level should be below 100 mg/dL. Ideally, you should aim for an LDL cholesterol level below 70 mg/dL.
Warning
As with any other diet, check with your doctor before starting a low fat, low cholesterol diet. This will ensure that the diet you have chosen is adequate for both your health needs and dietary goals. The added benefit of visiting your doctor before the diet begins is that you will be able to get a starting cholesterol level test. This will give you something to compare future test results to in order to track your progress.
