Sunday, June 13, 2010

Low Cholesterol Meal

More and more people are returning from a visit to the doctors after being given the news that they need to change their diet to one that is low in cholesterol. Many people after receiving such news feel disheartened not only because they have been told that they have high cholesterol but because they feel they are destined to live a life of dull bland foods. Low cholesterol recipes seem to have this rather unjustified description applied to them a little too often, the truth is low cholesterol recipes can be extremely tasty.

A low cholesterol diet will contain foods that you will not often find in the usual brown paper bag style lunch but meals prepared with foods that are naturally low in cholesterol can be great tasting and seriously good for you. Low cholesterol foods are often much higher in taste than their greasy, high cholesterol counterparts.

A good diet that is low in cholesterol will be rich in:

-Different oils. I'm afraid deep frying is best avoided but that is not to say you cannot use vegetable based oils such as olive oil in your cooking.

-Low fat foods. You will need to alter your food purchases a touch. This needs to be no more complicated than reaching for skimmed milk instead of your more usual, whole milk. You will also need to find low fat alternatives for butter and the like but these are readily available and rather tasty.

-Lean meats. Unfortunately a diet that contains a lot of red meat will also contain a lot of cholesterol. Try to limit the intake of red meats to special occasions and replace with fish, turkey, chicken and even pork. Basically the lower fat the meat has then the less cholesterol it contains.

-Vegetables. Ah the humble vegetable, how often do we see the phrase “eat more vegetables” splattered all over the TV and in the press? OK so there is good reason for this, namely the fact that they can seriously lower cholesterol in the body. Vegetables need not be as dull and uninteresting as people often perceive them, the humble vegetable can form an incredibly tasty addition to a low cholesterol recipe.

-High fibre foods. Foods that have a naturally high amount of fibre contained within are great, natural cholesterol reducers. Bran, whole grain wheat and whole grain rice are a great way to add flavour to a low cholesterol recipes and they have the added benefit of cutting down the amount of bad cholesterol present in the body.

Of course, if you are suffering from high cholesterol then it pays to have a word with your doctor as they can provide the best advice based on your particular situation but these guidelines to include in low cholesterol recipes will help you get started on the way to a healthier lifestyle.