Fat and Cholesterol Restricted Diet Plan

Fat and Cholesterol Restricted Diet Plan – What are the benefits?

Getting too much fat and cholesterol in your diet may cause health problems. Choosing the right foods helps keep your fat and cholesterol at normal levels. This can keep you from getting certain diseases.

Your doctor may recommend a diet plan that includes:

  • Total fat: ______% or less of total calories a day.
  • Saturated fat: ______% or less of total calories a day.
  • Cholesterol: less than _________mg a day.
  • Fiber: ______g a day.

What are tips for following this plan?

General tips

  • Work with your doctor to lose weight if you need to.
  • Avoid:
    • Foods with added sugar.
    • Fried foods.
    • Foods with partially hydrogenated oils.

Limit alcohol intake to no more than 1 drink a day for nonpregnant women and 2 drinks a day for men. One drink equals 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1½ oz of hard liquor.

Reading food labels

  • Check food labels for:
    • Trans fats.
    • Partially hydrogenated oils.
    • Saturated fat (g) in each serving.
    • Cholesterol (mg) in each serving.
    • Fiber (g) in each serving.
  • Choose foods with healthy fats, such as:
    • Monounsaturated fats.
    • Polyunsaturated fats.
    • Omega-3 fats.
  • Choose grain products that have whole grains. Look for the word “whole” as the first word in the ingredient list.

Cooking

  • Cook foods using low-fat methods. These include baking, boiling, grilling, and broiling.
  • Eat more home-cooked foods. Eat at restaurants and buffets less often.
  • Avoid cooking using saturated fats, such as butter, cream, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil.

Meal planning

  • At meals, divide your plate into four equal parts:
    • Fill one-half of your plate with vegetables and green salads.
    • Fill one-fourth of your plate with whole grains.
    • Fill one-fourth of your plate with low-fat (lean) protein foods.
  • Eat fish that is high in omega-3 fats at least two times a week. This includes mackerel, tuna, sardines, and salmon.

Eat foods that are high in fiber, such as whole grains, beans, apples, broccoli, carrots, peas, and barley.

Recommended foods

Grains

  • Whole grains, such as whole wheat or whole grain breads, crackers, cereals, and pasta. Unsweetened oatmeal, bulgur, barley, quinoa, or brown rice. Corn or whole wheat flour tortillas.

Vegetables

  • Fresh or frozen vegetables (raw, steamed, roasted, or grilled). Green salads.

Fruits

  • All fresh, canned (in natural juice), or frozen fruits.

Meats and other protein foods

  • Ground beef (85% or leaner), grass-fed beef, or beef trimmed of fat. Skinless chicken or turkey. Ground chicken or turkey. Pork trimmed of fat. All fish and seafood. Egg whites. Dried beans, peas, or lentils. Unsalted nuts or seeds. Unsalted canned beans. Nut butters without added sugar or oil.

Dairy

  • Low-fat or nonfat dairy products, such as skim or 1% milk, 2% or reduced-fat cheeses, low-fat and fat-free ricotta or cottage cheese, or plain low-fat and nonfat yogurt.

Fats and oils

  • Tub margarine without transfats. Light or reduced-fat mayonnaise and salad dressings. Avocado. Olive, canola, sesame, or safflower oils.

The items listed above may not be a complete list of recommended foods or beverages. Contact your dietitian for more options.

Foods to avoid

Grains

  • White bread. White pasta. White rice. Cornbread. Bagels, pastries, and croissants. Crackers and snack foods that contain transfat and hydrogenated oils.

Vegetables

  • Vegetables cooked in cheese, cream, or butter sauce. Fried vegetables.

Fruits

  • Canned fruit in heavy syrup. Fruit in cream or butter sauce. Fried fruit.

Meats and other protein foods

  • Fatty cuts of meat. Ribs, chicken wings, bacon, sausage, bologna, salami, chitterlings, fatback, hot dogs, bratwurst, and packaged lunch meats. Liver and organ meats. Whole eggs and egg yolks. Chicken and turkey with skin. Fried meat.

Dairy

  • Whole or 2% milk, cream, half-and-half, and cream cheese. Whole milk cheeses. Whole-fat or sweetened yogurt. Full-fat cheeses. Nondairy creamers and whipped toppings. Processed cheese, cheese spreads, and cheese curds.

Beverages

  • Alcohol. Sugar-sweetened drinks such as sodas, lemonade, and fruit drinks.

Fats and oils

  • Butter, stick margarine, lard, shortening, ghee, or bacon fat. Coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils.

Sweets and desserts

  • Corn syrup, sugars, honey, and molasses. Candy. Jam and jelly. Syrup. Sweetened cereals. Cookies, pies, cakes, donuts, muffins, and ice cream.

The items listed above may not be a complete list of foods and beverages to avoid. Contact your dietitian for more information.

Summary

  • Choosing the right foods helps keep your fat and cholesterol at normal levels. This can keep you from getting certain diseases.
  • At meals, fill one-half of your plate with vegetables and green salads.
  • Eat high-fiber foods, like whole grains, beans, apples, carrots, peas, and barley.
  • Limit added sugar, saturated fats, alcohol, and fried foods.
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