Cholesterol And Fat

Oils And Fats Play A Major Role With Cholesterol

The typical American diet consists of fatty meats, processed cold cuts, dairy products and fried foods. As if that weren’t enough, throw in commercially baked breads, roles, cakes, chips and cookies. This is a surefire path to high cholesterol.

Oddly, ingesting cholesterol will not raise the blood cholesterol nearly as much as eating a type of fat called “saturated fat.” Like cholesterol, saturated fat is primarily found in animal products like cheese, butter, cream, whole milk, ice cream, lard and marbled meats.

Don’t believe that if you just change to vegetable oil you can eliminate the high cholesterol problem. Some vegetable oils are also high in saturated fat. Palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter are also very high in saturated fat.

Unfortunately, these are also most often used in commercially baked goods, coffee creams and nondairy whipped toppings, so make sure you read labels.

Here is a chart showing the comparisons of different oils.

Although all of the oils listed above (except butter) contain no measurement of dietary cholesterol, to lower your own cholesterol level, you must use oils low in saturated fat. Canola oil (7% saturated fat) is one of the best available cooking oils.

Olive oil (14% saturated fat) is also good to use. One more rule that makes this chart just a bit misleading. Any fat that is hard at room temperature, such as stick margarine, is not good for your cholesterol.

Margarine has been hydrogenated (hardened) and that process adds trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids may be as bad for you as saturated fat, so stick margarine is equal to butter as far as your cholesterol is concerned. Diet and soft margarines are a better bet.

Also look for brands of margarine or shortening that top the ingredient list with oils rich in monounsaturated fat, like canola oil. Try substituting butter and margarine with a fruit puree. Prune puree is one particularly popular alternative but try using applesauce and apricots as substitutes.

What has the chefs who specialize in nutrition so excited about using prune puree is the significant difference in fat grams as well as calories. One cup of prune puree has 407 calories and one gram of fat. One cup of butter has 1,600 calories and 182 grams of fat. One cup of oil has 1,944 calories and 218 grams of fat.

You can see now why bakers are excited about adding prunes to the menu for high cholesterol! Prunes also contain large amounts of pectin which helps hold in the air bubbles that make baked good rise. They also have large amounts of sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, which helps keep baked goods moist and gives them the flaky, tender taste of shortening or butter.

The only drawback to using fruits like applesauce and apricots as fat substitutes is that baked goods tend to become soggy and moldy within a day or two so plan quantities accordingly.

Also, when baking with substitutes for fat, use cake flour instead of regular all purpose flour. It will keep the baked good tender. Don’t over bake your fat reduced recipes as they do tend to dry out quicker than traditional recipes that call for butter or oil.

Here’s another healthy living tip for you. If you really have trouble giving up your favorite high fat cheese in order to lower your cholesterol levels, try this. Turn it into a low fat version. Just zap it in the microwave for a minute or two.

Pull it out and drain off the oil. It will significantly reduce the fat content of the cheese. This will work well for cheese sandwiches, toppings and other recipes that call for your favorite cheese.

Scientists have discovered that water mixed with fructose suppresses the appetite better than glucose with water or even diet drinks. Fructose is the kind of sugar found in fruits. Drink a glass of fructose rich orange juice a half hour to an hour before a meal. You will eat fewer calories during the next meal and still feel comfortably full.

Don’t think that just because we are discussing “fat free” regimens that you must cut beef completely out of your diet to avoid high cholesterol. Too much of this “good thing” won’t do you any favors.

However, you can have your steak and eat it too, provided it’s a cut that is relatively low in fat and cholesterol and you do not add fat in the cooking and serving process.

When shopping for beef, select grade eye of the round is considered by some to be just that. A 3 ½ ounce serving has approximately four grams of fat, less than half of the amount in a 1 ounce serving of cheddar cheese. It also contains 69 milligrams of cholesterol, among 5the lowest for meats, and it is a good soruce of zinc, iron and other nutrients.

Tip round, bottom round and top sirloin are also relatively lean and high in these nutrients. Turkey breast and chicken breast are prizes as soon as you remove the skin. Turkey has less than 1 gram of fat and 83 milligrams of cholesterol.

Chicken has 3.6 grams of fat and 85 milligrams of cholesterol.
Pork tenderloin is the top choice for the “other white meat,” while leg shank is the leanest choice among lamb cuts.

Cinnamon has blood-thinning properties that can help lower cholesterol levels, says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc, director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

He suggests this tea: Mix 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of trikatu (a lend of ginger and two kinds of peppers) directly into a cup of hot water, then stir and steep for five minutes.

Add a teaspoon of honey once the tea has cooled. Dr. Lad says to drink this cholesterol lowering beverage twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. Trikatu is available from Ayurvedic practioners and in some health food stores.

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