If
you have high cholesterol, high triglycerides, a family history of heart
disease or even diagnosed heart disease yourself, your initial reaction
to planning meals is most likely: Help! But don't worry -- following a heart-healthy
diet can be as simple as 1-2-3. Just follow these guidelines and you'll
be sure to see those cholesterol levels coming down.
- Reduce saturated fat intake. Saturated
fats are typically solid at room temperature. Remember the "squeeze
the Charmin" commercials? Try the squeeze test on a stick of butter
and margarine. It's obvious that the butter is more solid, meaning it
contains more saturated fats.
- Saturated fats contribute to the plaque
buildup inside our arteries and help raise blood levels of cholesterol.
Butter, lard, whole milk, cream, animal fat (think of the skin and fat
on poultry and the fat and marbling in red meat) and bacon are especially
high in saturated fat. Saturated fats are also used in many snack products
such as chips, cookies, crackers and pastries. Read the labels for the
lowest amount of saturated fat possible.
- Use monounsaturated fats. Olive oil and
canola oil are high in monounsaturates, which help reduce blood cholesterol
and may help raise levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. Use olive
or canola oil in cooking or as a salad dressing. You can even find margarine
spreads that are made from olive or canola oil. Don't go overboard;
a little bit goes a long way.
- Increase your fiber. Fiber is found only
in plants -- fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. Try to eat 25-35
grams of fiber each day (read the labels for the amounts in foods you
normally eat). Fiber helps lower blood cholesterol, and people who eat
more fiber have a lower risk of heart disease. Start your day with a
bowl of high-fiber breakfast cereal (at least 5 grams of fiber per serving)
and you'll be well on your way to meeting your fiber goal.
- Think seafood. Adding three to four ounces
of seafood one or two times a week increases the amount of healthy omega-3
fatty acids you eat and decreases your risk of heart disease. Choose
coldwater ocean fish for the most omega-3 fatty acids: mackerel, salmon,
albacore tuna and sardines.
- Eat less animal protein. Try to keep
your portions of chicken, turkey, pork, beef and veal to the size of
a deck of cards, three ounces. That way you'll eat less fat, and you'll
have room for more veggies. Which leads us to the next suggestion:
- Eat your veggies! Choose dark green leafy
vegetables such as broccoli, kale and greens for high amounts of folic
acid and fiber. Dark orange veggies such as carrots and winter squash
contain helpful phytochemicals. Include a wide variety of veggies in
at least two meals each day, and make sure each portion covers at least
half your dinner plate (that's why you're eating less animal protein).
- Nix the margarine. If you use margarine,
try one of the newer cholesterol-lowering spreads such as Benecol or
Take Control. Used in place of your standard spread, they will help
lower blood levels of cholesterol.
- Beware of fat-free foods that are high
in sugar. If high triglycerides are your problem, you need to avoid
not only fat but also sugar. Sure, jelly beans don't contain fat, but
they are pure sugar. The same goes for fat-free cakes, cookies and candies.
- Go a little nuts. That is, sprinkle a
tablespoon of chopped nuts on a salad or in your morning granola. You
can even snack on nuts, but don't go overboard. The fat in nuts helps
lower cholesterol, and they contain fiber. Just remember, a serving
of nuts is about the size of your thumb.
- Choose fat-free dairy products. Some
studies have indicated that drinking skim milk each day helps lower
blood pressure. The fat in dairy products is saturated (if you forgot
what that means, go back to number 1) and should be avoided. Choose
skim milk, low-fat cheeses (no more than 5 grams fat per ounce) and
fat-free yogurt.
Within the next
six months you'll have made numerous changes that put you on the road to
heart health. |