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What (not) to eat: High Cholesterol Foods

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Cholesterol, the dreaded word for dieters and those with heart conditions. We’re often told to stay away from foods high in cholesterol in order to lose weight and keep our bodies healthy. Well, saying all cholesterol is bad would be wrong. LDL or low density lipoprotein is the ‘bad’ cholesterol which you should be avoiding while HDL or high density lipoprotein is believed to remove plaque in your arteries. So in short, aim for more HDL and keep LDL away from your diet.

Eggs vs Oatmeal

In deciding which breakfast food to wake up to, choose oatmeal over an omelette. Eggs can contain up to 200mg of cholesterol. This is bad considering the recommended daily dose of cholesterol should be 300mg/day. Oatmeal, on the other hand, is high in soluble fiber which lowers your LDL numbers by reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed in your bloodstream.

Steak vs Fish

Eating just one 4-ounce portion of steak can take up to 22% of your daily cholesterol intake. Not to mention the large amounts of saturated fat in each bite. Instead of chowing down on some meat, choose a nice serving of fish. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids which are heart-healthy and can reduce your blood pressure and the risk of blood clots.

Walnuts vs Chips

When it comes to snacks, a handful of fries or chips doesn’t seem like a big deal. In truth, the amount of trans fat in certain snacks can turn them into high-cholesterol foods. Instead, grab a bad of walnuts or almonds. Walnuts have polyunsaturated fatty acids which are great in keeping blood vessels healthy. Just stay away from nuts coated with sugar or those that are salted.

Indulging in meat, eggs and chips may be alright once in a while but make it a point to balance out your diet with some heart-friendly dishes as well.

 

Translating Nutrition Facts Labels

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Everyone knows to check any processed food’s Nutrtion Labels for facts about the product. But, does everyone know what those numbers and facts actually mean? All the figures can be confusing to the casual reader. Here’s a few simple tips on how to read the nutritional facts and make these numbers work for you and your diet.

1. The first thing you should check out is the Serving Size and Servings per Container. This tells you how to calculate the total amount of fat, calories, sodium, etc. that there actually is. For some people, they just look at the amount of calories on the label and think that if they eat the whole pack then this number is all the calories they would be consuming. This is a common mistake. The values on the Nutritional Label are the amount of a certain component per serving. A bag of chips may contain as much as 3 to 4 servings. This means you should multiply all values by 3 or 4, depending on how many servings per container there are.

2. The Percent Daily Value is usually calculated for a 2,000 calorie diet. This means that for an average person who takes in around 2,000 calories a day, this is the percent of fat, sodium, etc of the total recommended amount that they would be ingesting. For an active person or a growing adolescent (who may have a 2,500 calorie intake) these values are different.

3. Fat, Sodium, Cholesterol, Sugar are important components you should be paying attention to. For those who are on a strict sugar-free, low sodium, low cholesterol or fat-free diet, should look at these values closely. Total fat is distributed among trans fat, saturated and unsaturated fats. Trans and saturated fat should be relatively low values.

Now that you know these three essential facts, you can get more out of Nutritional Labels. Just remember not to be too obsessed with the numbers and try to balance out your diet for a healthier lifestyle.