Low Fat Diet
Excess fat in the diet is harmful for the circulatory system as it raises blood cholesterol levels thus contributing to heart attacks and strokes. Diets which lower cholesterol basically involve reducing the amount of saturated fat by cutting down on foods that contribute to high cholesterol.
Restricted consumption or avoiding foods that are high in fat like red meat, egg yolk, organ meats, whole milk and milk products, hydrogenated vegetable fat, like margarine, shortening which is used in baked and snack foods, is recommended. Cholesterol lowering foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, brown rice, certain deep-sea fish, low-fat dairy products, walnuts, seeds, soy products, garlic, is encouraged.
A cholesterol restricted diet stresses on limiting saturated fatty foods (animal source) and encouraging unsaturated fatty foods (plant origin). However, few vegetable fats like palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter act like saturated fats in the body and hence must be avoided. Such a diet highlights the need of complex carbohydrates (found in pasta, whole grains cereals, and potatoes) and dietary fiber (fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, oat bran, barley) coupled with the drinking of 6-8 glasses of water per day.
The main aim of a cholesterol lowering diet is to reduce dietary cholesterol and maintain blood cholesterol levels within the healthy range.
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