Cholesterol and Diet

Cholesterol and Diet Guide

To clear up a common misperception, cholesterol is a fat like substance, but it's not a fat itself. Cholesterol has a different structure from fat and performs different functions in the human body. Some functions promote health; some don't. Because fat and cholesterol often appear together in foods of animal origin, and because their roles in health are so intertwined they're easily mixed up.

Like fat, cholesterol often gets a "bad rap," yet it's part of every body cell and of some hormones. As part of a body chemical called bile, it helps the body digest and absorb fat, too. With the help of sunlight, a form of cholesterol in your skin can change to vitamin D, a nutrient essential for bone building. However, too much cholesterol in the bloodstream is linked to heart disease.

Blood and  Dietary Cholesterol

Confused about cholesterol? You're not alone! Actually, the term itself refers to two different types.

Blood,or serum, cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream.

Dietary cholesterol comes from food.

While many factors affect blood cholesterol levels, the cholesterol that circulates in your body comes from two sources:

Your body produces cholesterol enough for your needs. Your liver makes most of it, but every body cell can make cholesterol, too. In fact, when the body makes too much, the risk for heart disease goes up.

Unlike adults, infants and young children's bodies don't produce enough cholesterol, so for children under age two, it's important that their food choices supply cholesterol.

Cholesterol also comes from foods and beverages of animal origin: eggs, meat, poultry, fish, and dairy foods. Animals produce cholesterol, but plants don't.

A diet high in cholesterol is one factor that elevates blood cholesterol levels for some people. That's why the Dietary Guidelines advise: Consume less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day. Dietary cholesterol doesn't automatically become blood cholesterol. Saturated fat and trans fats in your food choices have a more significant effect on blood cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol alone does.

Fat and Cholesterol: Know Your  fats Limits

How much fat is enough? That depends. The Dietary Reference Intakes recommend a range, not a single amount. Age is factored into the recommendations.And specific amounts depend on how many calories you consume overall. 

 When selecting and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat,or fat-free. Limit intake of fats and oils high in saturated and or trans faty acids, and choose products low in such fats and oil.

Cutting back on fat or switching to healthier fats doesn't need to be a huge change. Even small changes add up. Often eating a smaller portion of a high-fat dessert, switching to lean meat and low-fat or nonfat dairy products, and eating boiled rather than fried foods are enough to make a daily difference

Keep in mind that you can reduce fat, including saturated fat and trans fat, from your food choices in many ways. To start, try a few strategies listed here

Choose lean meat (beef, veal, and/or pork) and skinless poultry. Lean and round cuts of meat have less fat. Trim visible fat from meat and poultry, too.Lean meat isn't fat-free; it just has less fat.Lean meat contains cholesterol in both the fat and in lean muscle tissue. Trimming the fat and buying lean cuts reduce the cholesterol in meat but won't make it cholesterol free.

Make your meals "fishy." Enjoy seafood several times a week, prepared a low-fat way. Go for fish, preferably fattier fish such as salmon, twice a week, to get the potential omega-3 benefits.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Besides being low in fat they fill you up and help curb your appetite for higher fat foods. Soluble fiber in some fruits,vegetables, and grain products also has a cholesterol lowering effect. To think about the variety of tasty fruits and vegetables in today s supermarkets.

Go for grains, including whole grains! Choose lower fat grain products pasta, rice, breakfast cereal,bagels, tortillas, pita, and other lower fat breads. Go  easy on doughnuts, sweet rolls, higher-fat muffins, cakes, and cookies. Consume more of your food energy from carbohydrate rich foods and less from fat!

Choose mostly low-fat or fat-free dairy products.