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Lifestyle Cholesterol Management (cont.)

Cholesterol Management Using Diet

Discuss with your health care provider how you can make diet and other lifestyle changes to affect your blood cholesterol levels. If you can truly change your daily habits, you may not have to take medication. Cholesterol-lowering medications are available, but they are not a substitute for exercise and dietary changes. Lifestyle changes should be employed first.

Dietary intakes high in saturated fat are linked to high total blood cholesterol counts and pose an increased risk for heart disease and other vascular diseases. To simplify the whole issue, reduce all fats in your diet, paying particular attention to saturated fats.

The American Heart Association suggests that fats should represent no more than 30% of all calories you consume in a day, but 25% or 20% is even better. Of that 20%, very little should come from saturated fat.

Decide how many total calories you need a day to maintain your desired weight. As a rule of thumb, you multiply your desired weight in pounds by 11, if your life is sedentary; 13 if moderately active; and 15 if active. The total gives you your recommended daily calorie count.

Determine how many grams of fat you should eat in a day (see chart). Don't get distracted by trying to measure the grams of saturated and unsaturated fat (this information is on food labels). Simply focus on total grams of fat.

Table 2. Grams of Fat Allowed Per Day

Daily Calorie Intake	Grams of Fat Using Guide of 20% of Calories From Fat Per Day
1200	27
1300	29
1400	31
1500	33
1600	36
1700	38
1800	40
1900	42
2000	44
2100	47
2200	49
2300	51
2400	53
2500	56
2600	58
2700	60
2800	62
2900	64
3000	67

Certain foods really do have health benefits for controlling cholesterol and overall heart health beyond providing basic nutrition. The International Food Information Council identifies these food choices:

Broccoli (heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer)
Fish or fish oil (heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol)
Green leafy vegetables (heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer)
Oranges or orange juice (heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer)
Carrots (heart health, blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer)
Garlic (heart health)
Fiber (heart health)
Oats/oat bran/oatmeal (heart health)

Lower cholesterol levels should start at the grocery store. Read food labels and buy foods low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol (cholesterol itself is found in some foods, and this type of cholesterol is different from blood cholesterol).

To help you know what to look for when grocery shopping, use this shopping list from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute:

Breads such as whole wheat, rye, pumpernickel, or white
Soft tortillas, corn or whole wheat
Hot and cold cereals except granola or muesli
Rice (white, brown, wild, basmati, or jasmine)
Grains (bulgur, couscous, quinoa, barley, hominy, millet)
Fruits: Any fresh, canned, dried, or frozen without added sugar
Vegetables: Any fresh, frozen, or (low salt) canned without cream or cheese sauce
Fresh or frozen juices, without added sugar
Fat-free or 1% milk
Cheese (with 3 grams of fat or less per serving)
Low fat or nonfat yogurt
Lean cuts of meat (eye of round beef, top round, sirloin, pork tenderloin)
Lean or extra lean ground beef
Chicken or turkey, white or light meat (remove skin)
Fish (most white meat fish is very low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol)
Tuna, light meat canned in water
Peanut butter, reduced fat
Eggs, egg whites, egg substitutes
Low-fat cookies or angel food cake
Low fat frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet
Popcorn without butter or oil, pretzels, baked tortilla chips
Nuts such as walnuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts
Margarine (soft, diet, tub, or liquid)
Vegetable oil (canola, olive, corn, peanut, sunflower)
Non-stick cooking spray
Sparkling water, tea, lemonade