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High and Low Cholesterol Foods
 Shannon OBrien
Stroke, Cardiovascular disease
These are scary words and even scarier disorders. Life is full of things that put us at risk for both of them. Eating foods that raise our blood cholesterol level is one of those. Thankfully, food is one of the threats to our health that we have a great deal of control over.
Diet and Exercise
Change those, and you've lowered your risk for heart attack and stroke significantly. In fact, a doctor will suggest this prior to even prescribing something like a statin or other drug to lower cholesterol.
The biggest factor in raising your blood cholesterol is saturated fat. Foods high in saturated fats include all the best stuff: fatty cuts of meat and meat drippings, bacon and sausage, egg yolks and butter. Other examples include whole milk, cream, cookies, muffins, cheese, ice cream, cakes and pastries.
Okay, that's the depressing part. Let's determine what we can eat.
What to Eat To Lower Your Cholesterol
I know it doesn't seem like it, but there are still a lot of yummy foods we can eat and keep our cholesterol level down. This list is by no means exhaustive, but merely a place to start.
1. Meats: Chicken and turkey without the skin and fish. Red meat is okay as long as you limit it to no more than three times a week and the portions are small.
2. Dairy Products: Yogurt, skim milk, sherbet and fat-free sour cream. Egg whites are fine and even 2 egg yolks a week will not significantly raise your cholesterol.
3. Fruits and Vegetables: Stay away from fruits that are canned and packed in heavy syrup. Avoid coconut.
4. Grains: Any whole-grain items, such as crackers, bread, pasta and cereal are smart choices. Brown rice, pita bread, English muffins, oatmeal, bagels and rye and pumpernickel breads are all good-for-your-cholesterol foods.
5. Snacks: Believe it or not, a low cholesterol eating plan includes yummy snack foods. Feel free to indulge in sorbet, angel food cake, animal and graham crackers, gelatin, fig bars, cocoa powder, fruit juices, pretzels and popcorn.
Food Preparation Methods May Help Lower Your Cholesterol
Lower your saturated fat intake, and thus reduce your cholesterol level, by watching how you prepare your food. Baking, broiling, grilling, poaching and roasting your meals will go a long way in lowering your cholesterol. If you want to saut, that's fine as long as you use broth, wine or water, not butter. Steaming or roasting low cholesterol foods like vegetables is a lot healthier than cooking them in a big blob of butter.
When preparing meat, try to remove as much fat from it as you can, cook it at no higher than 350 degrees and then drain all the fat off it after browning. High heat tends to seal the fat inside.
If you like to eat frozen dinners or entrees purchase those that are labeled low saturated fat or low cholesterol.
Unfortunately, high cholesterol foods are generally those that are more convenient to purchase. Taking the extra time to shop wisely and prepare appropriate meals goes a long way toward lowering cholesterol levels.
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