Food Guide for High-Cholesterol Patients

While I was cleaning up clutter from my office trolley, I saw a paper lying around.  I wanted to throw it away but then I read it and realized it’s important.  It was a paper our company doctor gave me as my physical examination showed that I have extremely high blood cholesterol.  To be totally honest, it was way above the normal level.

I admit I didn’t follow the advice.  I continued eating food that I should be avoiding.  Maybe, seeing the guide at this time reminds me that I should start eating wisely.

However, I still don’t wanna keep the paper.  I just hate clutter.  So I’m going to share with you the content of the guide.  I’ll have a copy of the guide here in HeaRty’s Haven plus it can help you if you’re in the same situation as me.  Let’s try to be healthy, okay?

Food Guide for High-Cholesterol Patients
Reference: TLC Diet by National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)

• Meat, Fish, Shellfish
  • Recommended: Choose only the leanest meals.  Buy chicken without skin or remove skin before eating.  Choose non-fatty beef cuts or remove excess fat.  Most fishes are lower in saturated fat & cholesterol than meat and poultry.
  • Avoid/Limit: Processed meats and pork products (bacon, sausage, salami, luncheon meat, hotdogs, hamburgers), organ meats, shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster) can be enjoyed occasionally.  Limit total amount from this food type to 5 ounces or less per day.
• Meat Substitutes, Peas, Beans, Tofu
  • Recommended: Dry peas and beans and tofu (bean curd) are great meat substitutes
  • Avoid/Limit: commercially available baked beans.
• Eggs
  • Recommended: Egg whites have no cholesterol.
  • Avoid/Limit: Limit egg yolks to no more than 2 yolks per week.
• Milk, Yogurt & Cheese Group
  • Recommended: Use fat-free and 1% milk.  Choose low-fat cheeses & low-fat or non-fat yogurt.
  • Avoid/Limit: Avoid whole milk or 2% milk, cheese, ice cream.  Limit 2-3 servings per day of low-fat or non-fat dairy products.
• Fats & Oils
  • Recommended: Choose liquid vegetable oils (canola, corn, olive, sesame, soy bean, sunflower oils).  Use light or non-fat mayonnaise and salad dressings.  Choose liquid margarine or that with unsaturated liquid vegetable oil.
  • Avoid/Limit: Limit butter, solid-margarin lard and regular commercial dressings and cream sauces.
• Fruits & Vegetables
  • Recommended: Fruits and vegetables have no cholesterol.  Always choose a diet that is high in fruits & vegetables.  Eat at least 3-5 servings per day.
  • Avoid/Limit: Starchy vegetables, avocados, coconut.
• Breads, Cereals, Rice, Pasta and other Grains
  • Recommended: Choose whole grain breads and rolls.  Use dry cereals.  Use pasta and rice as entrees.  Eat 6-11 servings from this type of food.
  • Avoid/Limit: Limit baked goods (biscuits, pastries, doughnuts, muffins, croissants).  They have lots of saturated fat from butter, eggs and whole milk.
• Sweets and Snacks
  • Recommended: Use low-fat sweets and snacks (Fat-free cakes, cookies, pastries, brownies), fruit slices, graham crackers, gelatin desserts, frozen low-fat sherbet.
  • Avoid/Limit: Baked snacks (cakes, cookies, biscuits) chips, chocolates.

Chicken skin, crabs, shrimps & lobsters will definitely test me.  They’re my favorite food of all time and I just cannot resist them.  I’ll try to eat them at a minimum.  I’m glad that tofu is recommended as I love tofu!  I guess, I’ll try to reward myself two times a week for those ‘taboo’ food but I’ll try to eat healthy for the rest of the week.

I wish the information I posted is helpful to you.  Being healthy is important but I sometimes just want to forget about the rules and have a good time by eating the things that I want.  I guess it has consequences too (our health).  I guess it’s best to keep those vital information in mind and try to follow as much as we can.