I’m trying to help my aunt plan her meals around cholesterol. But, there is SO much contradictory information on which foods are good or bad, and there’s apparently debate on whether cholesterol is actually connected with heart disease(?!).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4513492/
Like, I want to help but this is so confusing for me!
In: 8
The easiest way to do this is to just stick to foods that are fresh and include vegetables and whole grains.
The problem with focusing on one aspect of food (cholesterol, sugar, etc.) is that you end up ignoring the general rules for a healthy diet. Doctors make the same mistake. For instance, you look at a loaf of bread – hey, it’s made with whole wheat! That’s got to be good, right? But look at the sugar content. Why is there sugar in bread? Same reason there’s sugar in cereal. It’s yummy, so people buy it. But the sugar is completely unnecessary for making bread.
A rule of thumb that seems to work in most shopping situations is to buy food that is displayed around the perimeter of the grocery store: meat and fish, fruits and veg, dairy. Pasta and rice are ok, but try to use the whole grain varieties (brown rice.)
Don’t believe the marketing claims on food packages, either. “Natural; No Cholesterol; No Added Sugar; Low Fat…” This is all horse hockey.
Re: cholesterol in particular – it’s actually ok to use real butter, whole milk, eggs, meat, and good quality cheese in moderation. It’s the quality that matters. Stick to olive oil, avoid “vegetable oil” and butter substitutes.
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