With a busy life, sometimes nutrition takes second priority, but it doesn't need too. No doubt, with the overload of information available today, knowing what to eat can be confusing and may even cause you to throw in the towel and think, 'what's the point.'
I understand.
Dietetic trends, fads, and even research seem to change regularly. It's tough to know what is right and what may change in five years! What I have gathered over the years from reading, talking with registered dietitians and consulting other health professionals, are some general rules for healthy eating.
These rules for improving cholesterol apply to anyone, whether you don't have time (or desire) to cook, if you are already eating healthy, or if you are not, but want too. Whether you are feeding just yourself or a family, or if you just want to have a list of what the heck to eat, in order to improve your cholesterol.
5 Tips to Improve Cholesterol Through Food
1. Eat fat, but make it low in saturated fat and avoid trans-fats. The simplest way to do this is to limit fast food, fried food, whole milk and 2% milk, creamy dressings, pastas with cream sauces, and even sandwiches out at a deli. Whoa! It sounds strict, but its really not. Make smart choices out, like mustard instead of mayo, dressing on the side, or skim milk in your coffee. At home, make your own dressing or cream sauce with greek yogurt, a little lemon juice, and spices. Bake fish and chicken at home and freeze, instead of driving through somewhere on the way home. Figure out what works best for you to avoid these typical American fat filled downfalls.
2. Eat fruits and veggies. Filled with fiber, water and nutrients, fruits and vegetables are a low calorie, easy option to included daily with your meals and snacks. Easy ways to include vegetables in a snack is to cut up pepper strips, celery, cucumbers or carrots and eat with salsa or a tablespoon of hummus. Try adding an apple or grapefruit with your breakfast, or making a quick smoothie of frozen blueberries and banana for dessert. At the beginning of the week, chop up a bunch of veggies, place in a big bowl and top with any kind of vinegar, olive oil (a drizzle) and spices. Serve it up as a side dish for lunch or dinner all week.
3. Eat whole grains instead of the whites. When looking at ingredients, buy products with 100% whole grain, and avoid products with "enriched" anything. Fiber helps to improve cholesterol and helps you digest your food. Enriched is not whole grain, and has been stripped of the fiber, making it similar to white bread. Check the ingredients on your favorite bread, pasta, and oatmeal.
4. Eat more foods high in Omega-3's. This includes foods like, salmon, tuna, mackerel, ground flax seed, olive oil, walnuts, almonds and avocado. Omega-3's are important because they are the heart healthy fatty-acids and we do not produce them without food/supplements. You may also need an omega-3 supplement, if you don't eat enough of these foods, or if you want to improve your HDL. Your HDL (or happy cholesterol), should be above 60; you can get this checked easily with your doctor. The American diet is very high in foods with Omega-6 and 9's, like chicken, beef, steak, butter, even tilapia. Your Omega's must be in balance to work most efficiently. In addition to cholesterol benefits, omega-3's also has a positive effect on brain health and concentration.
5. Prepare to eat healthy. Success comes from simply knowing what to do, doing it and repeating it. As you get more comfortable with these steps and integrate them into your lifestyle, taking into account your time constraints, cooking desire, and budget, you will find what works for you. Don't expect to be perfect at this right away (or ever!). Treating yourself right and hitting your goals is a constant process and understanding that will help you move forward and feel good about it each day. Here are some tips for prepping to eat cholesterol healthy:
a. Go to the grocery store and invest in plastic food storage ware. Get a couple of different sizes. These are so useful when cooking food to take to work or on the go for the week. Using this method, you can cook and then split it up right away, so that you have portioned food, ready to grab and go. The possibilities with this method are endless. My go-to dish is quinoa, some type of beans and several diced veggies, like peppers, onions, cucumbers, artichokes, and scallions. Or try cubed chicken with whole grain pasta and spinach.
b. Roast veggies and bake sweet potatoes. To roast, choose veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, any kind of pepper, tomato, zucchini, and squashes. The key here is to cut veggies to relatively the same size, so that they cook pretty evenly. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place veggies in a baking dish. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil for every cup of veggies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 30-45 minutes. For sweet potatoes, clean and then wrap in aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees for about 30-minutes. Store in fridge and take out during the week when ready to eat.
c. Defrost your meat during the day. In the morning, take your salmon, chicken or other protein out of the freezer and place in fridge while you're away during the day. When you get home, do a quick marinade of something like fresh squeezed orange, olive oil and garlic, and bake, grill or saute. Serve with a side of roasted veggies or a salad that you made earlier in the week.
Following these five steps will help improve your health and cholesterol. Here's the biggest tip. Focus on one step at a time. Don't try and master all five steps at once. Work to improve your diet and lifestyle, but know that change is a process and it doesn't happen all in one day!
Resources:
Centers for Disease Control. Cholesterol Facts. January 30, 2012.
Mayo Clinic. Cholesterol: Top 5 foods to lower your numbers. July 27, 2012. Mayo Clinic Staff,
Harvard Health Beat. 11 Foods That Lower Cholesterol. October 2009. Harvard Heart Letter.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC. December 2005. NIH Publication No: 06-5235.
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