Dietary Fat, Diet And Cholesterol

Dietary Fat, Diet And Cholesterol : Diet control is a very important part of cholesterol treatment. In some cases, the doctor starts a high-cholesterol patient on a diet first, observes him for a specified period, and then starts the medication, if at all required. Even if a patient has to take cholesterol-busting medicine, he must make suitable changes to his diet.

Now, most of the cholesterol build-up occurs because of excessive consumption of dietary fat or from consuming the wrong type of dietary fat. Here are very important facts about fats that can help you choose wisely and reduce your cholesterol levels:

Section 1: About dietary fat

Americans typically consume 5 times of the recommended daily dietary fat intake, and the result is that their cholesterol levels shoot up. Their habits need to change and they must reduce their fat consumption. However, before chopping and changing, it is essential to understand the components of dietary fat.

Dietary fat, a small quantity of which is needed daily, is made up of:

a. Saturated fats

b. Unsaturated fats - 

Unsaturated fats are broken down into polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

The food that you consume contains a mix of both these fats. Then, fats are further processed and called different names and it is important to understand the good and bad fats before you limit or change their consumption pattern:

The bad fats

Saturated fat, which is found in animal foods like cheese, butter, dairy products, fatty meats, egg yolks, is considered harmful. It is also found in processed foods and in take-away foods. Saturated fat enhances Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL - the bad cholesterol) levels and your total cholesterol levels.

Trans fat is a fat that that is naturally present in animal foods. However, most trans fats are created while processing food by way of partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. Foods become easier to cook in hydrogenated unsaturated fats. Trans fats' consumption causes a double whammy - it increases your bad cholesterol (LDL) and reduces the good cholesterol (HDL, or High Density Lipoprotein). These fats are also known as solid fats because they become solid at room temperature. Some examples: beef fat, pork fat, butter, stick margarine.

The Good Fats

Monounsaturated fat is known to improve good cholesterol levels and reduce the total cholesterol level. However, before you rush to include monounsaturated fats in your diet, know that these fats are found in calorie-rich food like nuts, peanut oil, olive oil and mustard oil, and so their consumption must be moderated. Also, know that monounsaturated fats must not be combined with saturated fats to reduce or regulate calorie-intake.

Polyunsaturated fats improve good cholesterol levels and help reduce risk of heart disease. They are found in plant-based oil and food such as olive oil, corn oil and safflower oil. Omega-3 fatty acid, which is a type of polyunsaturated fat, is considered to possess heart-related benefits and is found in some types of fish, flax seeds and flax seed oil.
Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats remain liquid at room temperature.

Section 2: Diet Strategies

The first thing you have to realize and accept is that your body needs a small amount of fat daily. The amount that your body needs is best decided by a qualified dietician. According to a paper put out by Penn Medicine (University of Pennsylvania Health Medicine), the dietary fat required by the body must be split up into 3 parts of saturated fat, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats should be consumed the most, polyunsaturated fats follow with a lesser percentage, and the lowest percentage is reserved for the saturated fats.

The goal is to cut down on foods that contain high amounts of saturated fats and trans fats. Create a daily diet that contains foods rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils. Remember to restrict the dietary fat to as much as is prescribed by your nutritionist or physician. While planning your diet choose foods that are rich in fiber - look on the web for foods with a low Glycaemic Index (GI) and pick and choose per your preference - these foods will help control both your cholesterol and sugar levels.

While buying food from the shelves, remember to check the trans fats percentage contained. Canned and packed foods contain a high amount of trans fats and you must consciously avoid such food. Still, if you cannot avoid canned foods, at least avoid foods that have a high trans fats percentage.

Steel yourself and start staying away from saturated fats. Cut back on red meat and dairy products that contain full fat. You can replace red meat with poultry, fish, nuts, and beans, and you can replace full fat dairy products and whole milk with low-fat dairy products and low-fat milk. On meat, remember that organ meats (kidney, liver, heart, etc.) are rich in cholesterol - so if you are restricting your meat consumption, make it a point to completely do away with consuming organ meats.

Vegetable oils can be used in place of butter. If you use butter to sauté your food, then you must stop immediately and start using vegetable oil, preferably olive oil. Spreading vegetable oils on bread instead of butter is a healthier option as well.
To pump up HDL (the good cholesterol) levels, you must consume - daily - a food that contains omega-3 fats. Walnuts, soya bean oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, fish are foods that are rich in omega-3 fats.

• Use olive oil in salad dressings.
• Get into the habit of separating yolk from egg white before making an egg-based dish.
• Give up on packed snacks and instead snack on nuts, especially walnuts. Not too much though, remember that nuts are calorie-rich!
• Stop spreading bacon bits on salads. Spread crushed nuts or some seeds instead.
• Stop or drastically cut down on feasting on cheese. Instead, feast on thin avocado slices that taste just as swell.

This article was about diet, dietary fat and cholesterol. Finally, know that exercise plays a part in maintaining or reducing cholesterol levels. So follow a regular exercise program that will help you maintain/reduce weight. Combine diet, exercise and medication for best results. Good luck.