ADVERTISEMENT
Healthy Diet Plans >>  Diet recipes >>  Low cholesterol diet recipes
Low cholesterol diet recipes

Low cholesterol diet recipes do not necessarily mean that you have to eat tasteless food. Preparing low cholesterol meal plans will help reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease and help improve your overall well-being. You can prepare some tasty dishes that are healthy alternatives to high sugar, high fat and high cholesterol recipes. Of course, the taste of low cholesterol diet foods may sometimes be different from what you are used to, but it won’t be long before you get accustomed to low cholesterol diet recipes.  If you find it difficult to stick to your low cholesterol diet plans, it is a good idea to include some low cholesterol dessert recipes also in your low cholesterol diet menu. This is a great way of satisfying the cravings that we have for sweets after each meal.

 
One of the primary reasons of high cholesterol is being overweight. Hence, another important aspect of low cholesterol diets is using fruits and sweeteners to add that sweet taste to the food you prepare, thereby reducing your sugar intake to lower than what you are normally accustomed to. If you need to use a sweetener in your low cholesterol diet recipes make sure that it is heat tolerant. While buying the product you have to make sure it has “suitable for cooking” written on the label. If your recipe does not involve any cooking, you are free to use an artificial sweetener of your choice.  

You also need to make sure that the concentration of ingredients in your recipes may change from one company or manufacturer to another. For instance in some cocoa powder, the concentration of fat is 0%, while in others it might go up to 7% and even 10%. This can affect the outcome of your recipe. It is therefore important that you are aware of the nutritional analysis of any food items that you buy and make sure you pick up something your low cholesterol diet menu recommends.

Some low cholesterol diets foods that you can use to prepare your low cholesterol recipes include nuts such as pistachios and walnuts. Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids and proteins such as salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, and tuna contribute in bringing down the levels of your bad cholesterol (low density lipoprotein) while at the same time raising the levels of your good cholesterol (high density lipoprotein). Oats also helps reduce the bad cholesterol levels and are considered to be very healthy.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind while preparing your low cholesterol meal plans.

•    Cooking dishes such as stews, boiled meat, and soup stock in advance and refrigerating it is a great idea. This way you can remove the fat that has hardened from the surface.
•    Make sure you trim any visible fat from meat before you cook it.
•    Avoid organ meats such as kidney, liver, brain and sweetbreads that are very high in cholesterol.
•    Chicken and turkey are a good alternative to goose and duck that have a higher fat content.
•    Try avoiding processed meats as they are usually high in saturated fats and salt. Make sure you read the labels before buying meats such as salami and sausage.   

Consuming low cholesterol food is definitely beneficial to your health. However, you need to understand that all your present problems will not necessarily be cured by consuming low cholesterol foods. Also, it does not mean that you will be free from any health risks in the future.  Regardless, low cholesterol meal plans when combined with an exercise plan can go a long way in ensuring that you stay healthy.

Submitted on January 16, 2014