Check on that cholesterol

                  (By Lisa Sarah John, Courtesy Bangalore Times, July 16, 2007)

Many believe that avoiding non-veg foods is the best way to lower cholesterol levels. This will certainly help, but if you eat other foods rich in fat instead of non-veg it can be dangerous. For example, if you substitute non-veg with fried papad and pickles at both lunch and dinner, it can be harmful. If your cholesterol level is above 200mg/dl, you simply need to cut the intake of all foods rich in cholesterol, along with all foods rich in fat content. You certainly cannot give up these foods forever, but you must try to give it up completely for at least a period of three months.

In order to reduce cholesterol it is important to know which foods contain high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat. These are: deep fried food, pickles, nuts and chocolate. Once that is done, reduce the intake of such foods and control intake of total fat consumption per day.

Non-veg foods like organ meats, shrimp, egg yolk, mutton, beef, pork, cream of milk (whole milk), ice-cream, butter, ghee, cheese and paneer, contain animal fats and these contain cholesterol. They must be completely avoided till you see the levels drop to at least 170. After this you can eat any of these once in a week, at any one meal.

Saturated fats are identified as fats that solidify at room temperature. They may be of vegetable origin and therefore not contain cholesterol naturally; however, since the type of fat is saturated it is easily converted to cholesterol in your body. Hydrogenated margarines and other solid fats that are used to make bakery items like cookies and cakes, puffs and pastries are also dangerous. Use green chutney, ketchup, jam or honey on bread. The label of the fat substitutes will read as zero cholesterol content. This is true as they are made from vegetable fats which do not contain cholesterol. However this does not mean zero fat. One teaspoon fat substitute and one teaspoon ghee will both give you 45 calories.

In order to get your protein intake, eat two egg whites daily, as they are a good source of high quality, fat-free protein. You can also drink 500 ml of commercially skimmed milk daily. A couple of marie biscuits or crackers can be eaten with tea, but avoid cookies. A slice of wholewheat bread is an option too. Avoid coconut and coconut chutney as it contains solid fat.

Finally, all fried foods and snacks have to be avoided as they will contribute to the total fat intake in the diet going up and the cholesterol level cannot come down. Lastly, nuts are again 50-60 per cent fat content. Even if it is unsaturated fat, 100gm of nuts is approximately 500 calories, even if it is roasted or boiled.

Follow the above rules strictly for 3-4 months till you strike normal levels of cholesterol. A total amount of 2-3 teaspoons oil may be used daily to season your food.  

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