In February of this year
the federal Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee released a preliminary
document that proposed to change the current guidelines dietary cholesterol.
The Committee has concluded that cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for
overconsumption.
As a registered dietitian I have receive a lot of question
about how this changes the way we should be eating. One of the most common
questions being what is the difference between foods with cholesterol and foods
with saturated fat and how does this change my diet.
 |
| New Cholesterol Guidelines |
Check this Article: Penile Implant Surgery in India Cost
What is
Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is made by body and circulates through the body
in the blood stream. Cholesterol is also found in food from animal products.
There are multiple types of cholesterol.
One type of cholesterol is Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
which known as the “bad” cholesterol. High amount of LDL cholesterol in the
blood can lead to plaque formations in the arteries which can then cause heart
attacks and stroke.
A second type of cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein
(HDL) which is known as the “good” cholesterol. HDL takes LDL out of the
arteries and protects the arteries from developing plaque
What is Saturated
fat?
Saturated fat is the unhealthy fat that is found mainly in
foods that come from animal and some plate sources such as cocoa butter,
coconut and palm oil.
A diet high in saturated fats can increase the level of
cholesterol in the blood and increased the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Why is it ok to
eat eggs and shellfish but not red meat?
While eggs and shellfish do have cholesterol they are low in
saturated fat. Whereas foods such as beef, bacon, sausage, whole milk, and
cream are high in both cholesterol and saturated fat.
The proposed changes in the dietary guidelines are that
dietary cholesterol does not need to be limited but it is still recommended to
eat a diet low in saturated fats.
What can I do to
lower my LDL “bad” cholesterol?
Increasing your intake of soluble fiber has been proven to
reduce blood cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber is found in fruit, vegetables
and whole grains. It is recommend that an adult eat three to four serving of
fruits a day and three to five serving of vegetables a day. It also recommended
to choose whole grains such as whole wheat bread, whole wheat past and brown
rice most often.
The second way to help lower cholesterol is to maintain a
healthy weight. It is important that we monitor portion sizes, avoid foods high
in saturated fat and limit foods that provide empty calories (food high in
calorie but provide no nutrition) such soda, candy and sweet.
Lastly it is important to exercise regularly. Adults should
do aerobic exercise such as walking, running, biking, dancing and swimming, for
150 minutes (2 ½ hours) per week. In addition adults should do strength
training such as lifting weights, resistant bands or calisthenics, two to three
days a week.
 |
| About the New Cholesterol Guidelines |
The take home
message
While the guidelines are state that foods high in
cholesterol do not to be limited in the diet it is still recommend to limit
foods high in saturated fat.
It is always importance to eat a well-balanced diet of
fruits, vegetables whole grain and lean proteins.
No comments:
Post a Comment