Are you trying to reduce blood cholesterol without giving up on delicious food?
Many people fear that the phrase “good for my cholesterol” means consuming tasteless meals that do not bring any joy and satisfaction. Still, low-cholesterol menu does not have to include porridge and tofu only.
We have listed some simple alternatives to the food you already consume in order to reduce your blood cholesterol easier.
Sprinkle some walnuts over your meals – avoid using croutons
Carbohydrates can cause low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as bad cholesterol. For a healthier salad, use walnuts instead of croutons, which are rich in carbohydrates. Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fat – good fat which can lower LDL level, and increase HDL (good cholesterol) level at the same time.
Let your glasses be full of red wine, not cocktails
Numerous studies suggest that moderate consumption of alcohol can cause small boost of HDL. But that will not bring any good if you go for another Margarita or orange juice based drinks rich in carbohydrates. You should focuse to consuming red wine only, beause it contains almost a tenth of the same amount of a Margarita, and you will also get antioxidants as flavonoids, which are believed to lower LDL, and increase HDL. Still, taking in consideration the risk alcohol brings, American Heart Association recommends the following daily amounts of red wine for men and women.
Men – 2 glasses of red wine per day
Women – 1 glass of red wine per day
Soya beans and walnuts are better snacks than cheese and crackers (salty crackers)
If it is time for your before-dinner snack, you better stay away from the cheese and crackers, which are quite rich in saturated fat – the main cause of high cholesterol level. You could have some almonds, which are proven to be beneficial in reducing LDL, and soya beans (edamame beans), i.e. boiled young soya beans known as strong appetite boosters in Japanese restaurants.
Edamame beans contain low saturated fat level, and a cup of edamame beans contains 25g soya proteins, beneficial in active reduction of LDL (even though there is some evidence proving the contrary). Edamame beans are bought frozen (same as frozen beans). First you put edamame beans in boiling water, and then press out all the water after 5 minutes. That is all you should do regarding the preparation steps.
Vinegar and lemon juice beat salad dressing
As you all know, salad dressings rich in fat (i.e. mayo) is same as smoking cigarettes while jogging: This will totally disable your target. Low-fat alternatives as our chives and grapefruit juice dressing are a step further in the real direction, but the best cholesterol-reducing option is adding some balsamic vinegar or lemon juice to your salad.
Replace widely used butter and margarine
A tablespoon of butter contains more than 7g saturated fat, and that is a thirs more than the recommended daily dose. It also contains 10% of your daily cholesterol dose, and even though it is not that harmful, as people used to think, still it is the main source of high cholesterol (and atherosclerosis). Replace it with plant oil, for example cold-pressed olive oil, and then you have good fat instead of bad. Instead of using butter to grease your frying pan, try using olive oil or (white) wine vinegar.
Use ground turkey instead of ground beef
Red meat is a sourse of both saturated fat and food cholesterol – main sources of blood cholesterol. Ground turkey contains half fat less than 85% lean ground beef, and it can be used instead of beef in many recipes. For healthier versions of classic beef meals, try preparing bolognese sauce using turkey or why not having turkey burger for lunch?
Chicken is ok, but shrimps and fish are better
Even though chicken and turkey contain less fat than red meat, this meat is not cholesterol-free. One of the best strategies to lower your cholesterol with food is eating more fish – it is low-fat and contains heart-friendly omega-3 fatty acids. Replace your chicken meal with salmon portion, or try roasted shrimps in sesame sauce.
Eat popcorn instead of tortilla chips
Tortilla chips is often considered as a healthy alternative to potato chips. It is healthier, but homemade popcorn contains 80% less saturated fat than tortilla chips, and it is twice as rich in cellulose fiber as tortilla chips.
Avoid sour cream and choose low-fat yogurt
Used as a garnish or sauce, sour cream adds a cup of saturated fat to healthy meals. In order to reduce excess fat without losing the taste or texture, replace sore cream with low-fat yoghurt known as one of the world’s healthiest food products. Sour cream can be replaced with yoghurt in every recipe.