Hi, my name is Angela Gross, and I'm a registered dietitian at the St. Cloud VA Healthcare System
Today, I'm going to talk to you about lowering cholesterol through diet
So what is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat-like material that provides structure for your body cells
the body uses cholesterol to make hormones bioacids Vitamin D and other substances
Your liver makes most of the cholesterol your body needs, but you also get some from the foods you eat
cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream, but cannot travel by itself
cholesterol travels in packages called
Lipoproteins which have fat inside and protein outside
these are called LDL and HDL
We will start with HDL
HDL Is often called the good cholesterol
HDL helps remove fat from the blood
a low HDL increases your risk of heart disease
To increase your HDL levels don't smoke or quit if you do and exercise more
Exercise is one of the best ways to increase your HDL levels
Next we'll talk about LDL Cholesterol, LDL often called the bad cholesterol
carries fat throughout the body and leaves it on blood vessel walls
This can build up over time and cause blockages in the arteries
Triglycerides are another type of fat in the blood that can increase the risk of heart disease
Foods high in fat sugar and alcohol as well as poor diabetes control can increase triglycerides
You can prevent and control many risk factors of heart disease such as high blood cholesterol
high blood pressure
excess weight and obesity with lifestyle changes and medication
The main goal of cholesterol lowering treatment is to lower the LDL cholesterol
Which may include a cholesterol-lowering diet
physical activity and weight management
Changes in your diet can make changes to your LDL cholesterol
if you decrease saturated fat to less than 7 percent of calories
if you have a weight loss of 10 pounds or more if you're overweight
and by adding 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber per day can reduce your LDL cholesterol
Types of dietary fats
unsaturated fats saturated fats and trans fats
unsaturated fats
There are two types
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats
They are found mainly in vegetable oils
such as canola olive and peanut oils. They are liquid at room temperature
Eating foods with unsaturated fats can help lower your LDL cholesterol
Raise your HDL cholesterol and decrease your risk of heart disease
Saturated fats are found mainly in animal foods such as meat and poultry
whole or 2% milk and butter
Some vegetable oils like coconut palm kernel oil and palm oil also have saturated fats
Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature and eating too many fats high in saturated fat
can raise your LDL cholesterol and your overall cholesterol
High blood levels of LDL and total cholesterol increase your risk of heart disease
Trans fats are formed when vegetable oils are processed into margarine or shortening
sources of trans fat in your diet include snack foods and baked goods made with partially
hydrogenated vegetable oil or vegetable shortening
Trans fats also occur naturally in some animal foods such as dairy products
Trans fats act like saturated fats, and raise LDL cholesterol levels
They can also lower HDL cholesterol in the blood
Trans fats increase your risk for heart disease
So there's no recommended level of trans fat intake
To limit your fat, especially saturated and trans fat
select lean cuts of beef and pork
especially cuts with loin or round in their name
Remove all visible fat from meat before cooking take the skin off chicken or turkey before eating it
Cut back on processed meats high in saturated fats such as hot dogs salami and bacon
bake broiled roast stew or stir-fry lean meats fish or poultry
drain out the fat of cooked ground meat
When you make stew super gravy refrigerate the leftovers and skim off the fat with a spoon before
reheating or serving
eat fish regularly
Try different ways of cooking like baking broiling grilling and poaching to add variety
the American Heart Association
recommends
Americans eat at least two servings of fish a week try eating plant foods as sources of protein
Including soy beans pinto beans lentils and nuts
replace higher fat cheese's lower fat options like reduced fat feta and
part-skim mozzarella
thicken sauces with evaporated
nonfat milk instead of whole milk and move towards using lower fat milk and yogurt
Start with 2% products and move to 1% and finally to fat-free to adjust to the new taste
Use liquid vegetable oils and soft margarine instead of stick margarine or shortening
limit consumption of cakes cookies crackers
pastries pies muffins doughnuts and french fries these foods tend to be the biggest source of trans fats
Many food manufacturers have removed trans fats from their foods
check ingredient lists on food packages and avoid products containing partially hydrogenated oils
Use nonstick spray or a nonstick pan for cooking
try broth as a substitute for oil when sauteing foods
Use oils such as canola olive and soybean in recipes and for sauteing
Make salad dressings with olive walnut or pecan oils also
research has shown that Omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial to heart health by lowering triglycerides
raising HDL and
preventing blood clots
eat foods containing Omega-3 fatty acids
Select foods that provide Omega-3 fat such as canola and soybean oil
add flaxseed oil, which is very high in omega-3 fat to foods like salad dressings
If you use flaxseed be sure it is ground-up
your body can not digest the beneficial fat if the seeds are left whole
Eat two 4 ounce portions of fatty fish each week like salmon
albacore Tuna
If it's canned make sure it's in water some chickens are given feed that is high in omega-3s
So their eggs will contain more as well when buying eggs check the package label
Fish oil supplements are acceptable for those with heart disease
Fiber and cholesterol control
Another way to improve cholesterol is by eating more soluble fiber
Soluble fiber is found in foods such as oats dried beans and peas
Barley and the fleshy part of fruits and vegetables
soluble fiber dissolves in water and creates a thick sticky substance that binds with cholesterol
and allows it to pass out of the body
Adding 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber each day can help lower LDL or the bad cholesterol by about 5%
To do this eat four vegetables and four fruit servings each day
High-fiber cereal at breakfast and add beans to soups and salads
Always add fiber to your diet slowly and make sure you are drinking plenty of water
some examples of foods with two to four grams of soluble fiber are
Half a cup of kidney beans or lima beans
One medium cooked artichoke a half a cup of cooked brussel sprouts and one serving
psyllium husk such as metamucil
What do label claims mean?
Fat-free is less than half a gram of fat
Low fat is three grams of fat or less
Reduce fat or less fat is at least 25% less fat than the regular product
Low unsaturated fat is one gram of saturated fat or less
With not more than 15% of calories coming from saturated fat
Lean is less than 10 grams of fat
four and a half grams of saturated fat
and 95 milligrams of cholesterol
Extra lean is less than five grams of fat
two grams of saturated fat
and 95 milligrams of cholesterol
light is at least one-third fewer calories or no more than half the fat of the regular product
or no more than half the sodium of the regular product
Calorie free means less than five calories per serving
low calorie means 40 calories or less per serving
Reduced or less calories is at least 25% fewer calories per serving than the regular version
light is half the fat or 1/3 of the calories of the regular version
A healthy lifestyle
meaning following a healthy diet
maintaining a healthy weight
regular physical activity
quitting smoking and managing stress
can lower your risk of heart disease and may prevent current heart disease from worsening
If you would like more information on cholesterol and following a healthy diet
Please contact your nutrition clinic and schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian
Thank you