Low Cholesterol Diet

Introduction – Low Cholesterol Diet
Cholesterol comes in two forms, namely low density (LDL) and high density (HDL) and has the job of carrying essential fatty acids through the bloodstream. Most of the cholesterol travelling in the bloodstream is converted by the liver, from dietary fats – relatively small amounts actually come from pre-formed cholesterol found in certain foods such as egg yolk, coconut and prawns. However, with all this said and done, on occasions low-cholesterol diets are advised for people with abnormally high levels of LDL cholesterol. This advice usually comes on the back of the fact that high levels of LDL causes arteries to block, which significantly increases the chance of coronary heart disease striking.

On the other hand, what many people don’t know, is that unlike LDL, the HDL form of cholesterol protects against coronary heart disease, which is why the latter is usually described as ‘good cholesterol’ and the former as ‘bad’.

Levels are based on the number of millimoles (0.0001g) of cholesterol found in one litre of blood. Check out the guide below to see what is normal and high.

What do I eat?
As part of a low cholesterol diet, reducing fat intake is the order of the day, especially the saturated variety, because this type of fat encourages the liver to produce LDL cholesterol. In addition avoidance is key in terms of eating foods that are high in pre-formed cholesterol.

As a rule of thumb you’ll need to cut down on your saturated fat intake to under 10% of calories consumed per day (if a person eats 2000 calories a day, this means below 22g of saturated fat per day) and as a total, fat should not make up more than 33% of your daily calorific intake.

While undertaking a low cholesterol diet it is recommended that you increase your consumption of oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring, as these are low in saturated fat and high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which help thin the blood and make it less likely to clot.

Additionally an increased intake of fibre should be encouraged (see our, List of High Fibre Foods). Research undertaken has yielded results that suggest that eating more than 3g of soluble oat fibre (roughly found in two bowls of porridge) daily helps absorb fats in the gut and therefore reduce blood cholesterol levels by up to 0.15 mmol/l . Although this amount seems very little it is in fact a significant change.

Fruit and vegetables also have it in their power to help prevent the clogging of arteries because of the vitamin C and E they contain.

Possible low cholesterol meals

Breakfast
Fruit or no added-sugar fruit juice
cereal, such as muesli, porridge, weetabix or shredded wheat, with semi-skimmed milk
wholemeal toast
Tea / coffee with semi-skimmed milk

Lunch / Dinner
Soup (containing no cream)
Chicken, fish, lean red meat, eggs, beans or cottage cheese
Vegetables and potatoes (baked or boiled)
Bread, rice, noodles or pasta

Supper
Tea or coffee with skimmed milk
Wholemeal bread with recommended margarine

Snacks
Low fat yoghurt
Digestive or oatmeal biscuit
Suitable cakes
Beans, fish, lean meat or cottage cheese
Salad
Fruit

Which foods shall I avoid as part of a low cholesterol diet?