Low Cholesterol Diet Menus – What’s Actually in Them?
Low Cholesterol Diet Menus – What’s Actually in Them?
Cholesterol, it’s important to keep cholesterol levels under control by following low cholesterol diet menus but not everyone is a great chef. Just how does anyone create suitable menus when it’s difficult enough trying to identify low cholesterol foods? Well, here are some suggestions about food and ways to prepare healthy low fat meals.
First off, what are low cholesterol foods? It’s all very well talking about avoiding saturated and eating more unsaturated fats, but what are they? Think of saturated fats as the type associated with fatty meat such as bacon, sausages and the like. When you can see fat on meat then you are looking at saturated fat. Also products such as butter, lard, ghee and hard cheese are sources of saturated fat. Unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, seeds and lean meats. When considering weekly low cholesterol diet menus, try to use red meat no more than twice per week.
Use chicken or turkey two or three times a week and fish once or twice a week. Oily fish such as mackerel, tuna, salmon and trout contain the most omega 3 fats which are good for our general health. Balance out the rest of a meal with carbs (such as potatoes rice and pasta) and vegetables or salad.
Portion control is very important to aid you with weight loss and cholesterol control. Think of a normal size dinner plate and try to keep to the following proportions for your foods. Allow one quarter of your plate for protein, that’s the meat, chicken and fish part of the menu. Then allow one quarter for carbs. Finally, allow half the plate for vegetables and/or salad. Stick to these proportions of ingredients on your plate and it will save you from eating too much of the wrong types of food.
The method of cooking is important as well. Try to avoid frying food, especially deep fat frying. If you must fry food, then stir frying is best and make sure you use an unsaturated fat such as rapeseed oil. Try to boil, bake or grill all your food to ensure that you are cooking using the healthiest methods. I like to substitute baked potato for fries (or chips as we call them here). Simply cut potatoes into wedges and then toss them in a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Then arrange them in on a baking tray and bake in a hot oven until golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside. For extra flavour, just sprinkle on some paprika or chilli powder before baking them.
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