It is crucial for you to manage your cholesterol as you age. Besides having a regular exercise routine, you should watch your diet when you are trying to manage your cholesterol levels. Here are the foods you should and should not eat for managing a healthy cholesterol level.
Full-Fat Dairy Products
To ensure you have a healthy cholesterol level, you need to steer clear of full-fat dairy products. This is because they are abundant in saturated fat. And this includes butter, whole milk, cheese, and full-fat yogurt. And while cheese might be a fan favorite among Americans, it is not only high in saturated fat but is also high in salt levels. Here is what you can do instead. You can use 3 ounces of cheese weekly when cooking, and use part-skim types of cheeses such as mozzarella or Swiss. To lower your cholesterol levels, replace butter with alternative oils such as avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil. To get your calcium, you can drink skim milk, also known as non-fat milk, or opt for 1% or 2% milk. Additionally, search for yogurt that has lower fat levels or is fat-free.
Fried Foods
Another type of food that you need to avoid is fried foods. After all, fried foods are often cooked in a deep fryer that is filled with oil that is high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Fried foods like french fries or fried chicken with skin may be delicious and popular, but they will definitely set your cholesterol level to be alarmingly high and bring about a lot of health issues. Not to worry, there are ways to make it healthier and better manage your cholesterol levels. Baked chicken or turkey without the skin, baked potatoes, or baked “fries” coated in olive oil are all healthier options. For a lower-fat “fried” food flavor, try using an air fryer.
Sweets and Baked Products
If you have a sweet tooth and cannot get enough sweets or baked products, it is time to limit your intake of them. This is because these sweets and baked products are incredibly unhealthy for your health and can increase your cholesterol levels to unhealthy levels. Butter or shortening is commonly used in cookies, cakes, and doughnuts, making them rich in saturated fat and cholesterol. And that is not all. They are also heavy in sugar, which can raise blood triglycerides, an unhealthy blood fat (lipid) that can increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Make your sweets at home instead, using recipes that don’t call for shortening or a lot of butter. This also allows you to alter recipes and reduce the quantity of sugar used to half or three-quarters of the amount suggested. Baked fruit can also be served as a dessert, or applesauce can be used in place of eggs or butter in baking.
Lean Meats
If you want to better manage your cholesterol levels, you should eat more lean meats instead. This is because certain cuts of lean meat have a high cholesterol content but low saturated fat content. Liver (including liver pate), kidney, sweetbreads, heart, and tripe are among them. While these meats may not sound as appealing to you, they are healthier alternatives to processed or red meat.
