If you have high cholesterol or blood pressure, cutting
back on fat and increasing fiber can help lower both. You
may also lose weight in the process!
Try these food changes to reduce your fat and saturated fat
intake. Saturated fat is the hard, artery clogging fat and
you want to stay under 20 grams daily whenever possible.
Total fat should be less than 50 grams for women and 60
grams for men.
1. Eat only 1oz cheese instead of 2oz and save 5 grams
saturated fat. One ounce is the portion of presliced
cheese.
2. Buy 95% lean ground beef instead of regular ground beef
and save 3.5 grams saturated fat for every 3oz portion.
Three ounces is the size of a deck of cards.
3. Instead of whole milk choose 1% and save 3 grams
saturated fat per 8oz serving.
4. Choose tub margarine instead of butter and for every
tablespoon you will save another 5 grams saturated fat.
Here are a few more ideas to trim your overall fat intake:
5. Use low fat cream soups instead of regular for your
casserole dish and save 6 grams fat per serving. That's 15
grams fat less per can!
6. Order an ice cream cone instead of blizzard or shake and
save about 20 grams fat.
7. Order your latte, mocha or cappuccino with nonfat milk
and save about 6-7 grams fat for a 16oz serving.
Believe it or not, there actually are some foods you should
eat more of to lower cholesterol and weight. Try switching
these foods to increase your fiber intake for even more
heart health power!
1. Oatmeal can be a powerful weapon in lowering your LDL,
the "bad" cholesterol that can increase plaque buildup in
the arteries. What is it about oatmeal that makes it so
healthy? Oatmeal is a whole grain and good source of
soluble fiber. It also sticks with us longer to help
control hunger.
2. Add a spoonful of flaxseed to your oatmeal, bread mix,
casserole, yogurt, salad or other foods for the fiber and
omega-3 benefit. You can buy the seed and grind it in
coffee grinder or buy a small package of milled flaxseed.
Be sure to keep refrigerated once ground!
3. Switch pastas, breads, cereals and other starch foods to
whole grain or whole wheat. These changes will double your
fiber intake.
4. Try this to increase fruits & veggie intake: have 1
fruit serving for breakfast, 1 for morning snack, 2 veggies
with lunch and 2 veggies with supper. Now you have the
minimum 5/day you need. Eat more if you like!
5. Beans are one of the best sources of fiber. Try to have
1-2 meals with beans each week. It's easy if you like
chili, bean soups, bean salads, baked beans, black beans,
bean dips or beans in Mexican dishes.
6. Don't forget about nuts and seeds. Add nuts to your day
for a snack or to salads. Just watch the serving size
because they are high calorie!
7. Enjoy popcorn for your snack. 3 cups gives you 3 grams
fiber! Just go easy on the butter or oil.
Total fiber intake should be 20-35 grams fiber daily but
don't worry about the numbers. Just be sure to increase
fiber gradually and drink enough water to avoid cramping
and bloating.
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Karen Marschel, RD, LD, CDE is a registered licensed
dietitian and certified diabetes educator providing
personalized online weight management services. Sign up
for her free newsletter at http://www.dietMN.com
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