Table of Contents
| Pt. I | Starting out right to control your cholesterol | 9 |
| Ch. 1 | Conquering cholesterol is easier (and more pleasant) than you think | 11 |
| Ch. 2 | Favorite foods for controlling cholesterol | 27 |
| Ch. 3 | Looking at those foods you've been warned about | 41 |
| Ch. 4 | Controlling cholesterol when eating out | 57 |
| Ch. 5 | Gearing up for healthy cooking | 67 |
| Pt. II | Mastering the beneficial breakfast | 77 |
| Ch. 6 | Greating the morning with healthy carbs | 79 |
| Ch. 7 | Starting your day with protein | 91 |
| Ch. 8 | Having breakfast in a jiffy | 103 |
| Pt. III | Making your day with heart-healthy starters | 117 |
| Ch. 9 | Preparing soup, simple and hearty | 119 |
| Ch. 10 | Super salads for everyday meals | 141 |
| Ch. 11 | Mouth-watering morsels for special occasions | 161 |
| Pt. IV | Having your poultry, fish, and meat | 173 |
| Ch. 12 | Flocking to chicken and turkey : new ways to prepare old favorites | 175 |
| Ch. 13 | Serving up great-tasting seafood | 199 |
| Ch. 14 | Managing meats in a healthy diet | 221 |
| Pt. V | A harvest of cholesterol-controlling veggies, beans, and grains | 237 |
| Ch. 15 | Welcoming heart-friendly veggies into your kitchen | 239 |
| Ch. 16 | Betting on beans and other legumes for lower cholesterol | 257 |
| Ch. 17 | Quality grains for your heart's sake | 277 |
| Pt. VI | Savory accompaniments and sweet finishes | 299 |
| Ch. 18 | Sparking flavors with seasonings and sauces | 301 |
| Ch. 19 | Dishing up fruit for dessert | 315 |
| Ch. 20 | Baked goods that keep the heart ticking | 329 |
| Pt. VII | The part of tens | 341 |
| Ch. 21 | Ten beverages that say, "here's to your health!" | 343 |
| Ch. 22 | Ten ways to trim your food bill | 349 |
Read a Sample Chapter
Low-Cholesterol Cookbook For Dummies
By Molly Siple John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0-7645-7160-5
Chapter One
Conquering Cholesterol Is Easier (and More Pleasant) Than You Think
In This Chapter
* Sorting out kinds of cholesterol
* Increasing the good cholesterol and lowering the bad
* Reducing heart disease risk factors
* Developing a way of eating to control cholesterol
* Linking cholesterol to carbohydrate intake
* Having firsts but not seconds
* Introducing the recipes
The heart goes about its business, beating 100,000 times a day, and you probably hardly give it a thought, until perhaps you have your cholesterol checked and find out it's too high. Then suddenly caring for this precious piece of yourself takes center stage.
In fact, you need to take care of your heart even if your cholesterol levels are normal. And that's the reason I wrote this cookbook - to give you a tool for controlling cholesterol and keeping your heart healthy with good nutrition.
This chapter starts with a brief description of cholesterol. I then introduce you to a healthy way of eating and discuss types of foods that you should include in a heart-healthy diet. I describe other risk factors for heart disease and explain how the same foods that lower cholesterol help these conditions too. Next, I give a warning about portion control. Finally, I discuss the recipes and their inspiration.
Cholesterol Doesn't Grow on Trees
The liverproduces cholesterol, whether it's your liver or the liver of a chicken or cow. Only animal products, such as eggs, meat, and dairy foods, contain cholesterol. Plants don't have livers and they don't contain any cholesterol, which is one reason why a cholesterol-controlling diet features plants.
TECHNICAL STUFF
The body manufactures cholesterol by hooking 15 two-carbon acetates (vinegars) end to end, and after some other steps, a 27-carbon cholesterol molecule is formed. But here's what's really interesting - those two-carbon acetates can come from several sources, including fatty acids, protein, sugars, and starches. Alcohol can also provide acetates for the production of cholesterol!
Normally, your body produces less cholesterol when more is consumed. However, in some people, their blood level of cholesterol increases when they consume more cholesterol. Individual responses to dietary cholesterol vary widely.
Cholesterol can be dangerous because if it accumulates on artery walls it can block the flow of blood to the organs, including the heart. This blockage results in a disease called atherosclerosis, a major cause of heart attacks and stroke.
What we call cholesterol circulating in the blood is actually a lipoprotein. A lipoprotein is a package of cholesterol, protein, and fat that the liver assembles and releases into the bloodstream. For more details about cholesterol and the heart, take a look at Controlling Cholesterol For Dummies, by Carol Ann Rinzler and Martin W. Graf, MD, published by Wiley.
There are many different types of lipoproteins, but the two you hear most about are low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).
LDL hauls out cholesterol from the liver and it's this cholesterol that deposits in arterial walls and initiates the formation of plaques which can narrow the artery. Most often a blood clot at the site where the artery has narrowed blocks the flow of blood and triggers a heart attack. (That's why it's called the bad cholesterol.) HDL carries cholesterol back to the liver for conversion into bile acids and excretion via the intestinal track. (In this way, HDL earns its nickname, the good cholesterol.)
Therefore, the purpose of a cholesterol-controlling diet is not just to lower total cholesterol, but also to lower LDL and raise HDL.
TIP
If you don't know your cholesterol levels and plan to have them checked, you may need to have more than one test because cholesterol levels can fluctuate. If your total cholesterol is more than 200, wait a month and take the test again. If the results of the two tests are within 30 mg/dL, average them. If the difference is greater than 30 mg/dL, take a third test and average the three.
Eating to Produce the Right Mix of Cholesterols
The goal of controlling cholesterol with diet is not just to keep the total cholesterol within normal range. You also want to choose foods that have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and elevate HDL, and avoid foods that do the opposite.
Lowering LDL levels
One of the most forceful messages from the medical community about lowering cholesterol that has come through loud and clear over the years is to reduce the intake of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol because they raise cholesterol. However, as research has progressed, this recommendation has altered slightly. Dietary cholesterol is now considered less of a factor in elevated cholesterol than saturated fat, and a new factor - trans fatty acids - has been added.
Restricting saturated fat intake
All the well-known diets for reducing heart disease- including those of Dean Ornish and the American Heart Association - give high priority to restricting intake of saturated fat. Research leaves no doubt that the percent of calories from saturated fat dramatically increases the risk of heart disease.
In its year 2000 dietary guidelines, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting saturated fat content to 10 percent of calories for the general population with normal cholesterol levels. It also recommends reducing saturated fat intake further, to 7 percent of calories, for individuals with elevated cholesterol levels or cardiovascular disease. (However, whether it's best to replace saturated fat with carbohydrates or other kinds of fat is now being questioned. I cover this topic in the section "The Eating Plan for Controlling Cholesterol," later in the chapter.)
REMEMBER
Major sources of saturated fat in the diet are full-fat dairy products, fatty meats, and tropical oils.
Watching dietary cholesterol
Foods high in cholesterol are not the culprits they were once thought to be. Research is showing that cholesterol-rich foods that are also relatively low in saturated fat, such as egg yolks and shellfish, raise LDL cholesterol levels only minimally and far less than saturated fat.
Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston examined the association between egg consumption and incidence of cardiovascular disease in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1999. Data came from a population of over 100,000 men and women health professionals. Results of the study showed that eating up to one egg a day had no significant association with the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke. This was true even for individuals with elevated cholesterol.
The American Heart Association now gives the okay to eggs in the diet, even though an egg contains about 213 mg of cholesterol. However, the guidelines still limit cholesterol to a maximum of 300 mg/dL a day for the general population and below 200 mg/dL for persons with an LDL level above specific target levels, and for those who have diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease. Of course, if you consume cholesterol-containing foods such as dairy products and meat, along with an egg for breakfast, you're very likely to surpass the recommended ceiling on cholesterol.
It's always a good idea to limit how much high-cholesterol food you eat. One benefit of limiting items such as red meat is that these also contain a lot of saturated fat. Be sure to work with your doctor and regularly have your cholesterol checked to tailor your diet to the amount of cholesterol you find your system can manage.
REMEMBER
When deciding whether to consume a food that contains cholesterol, consider what else you're eating that day.
Avoiding trans fatty acids
Trans fatty acids, predominantly found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, elevate LDL cholesterol almost as much as saturated fat, molecule for molecule. They also raise triglycerides, blood fats associated with increased risk for heart disease. (Chapter 3 gives you an even longer list of the harmful effects of trans fats.)
Trans fatty acids are found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are an ingredient in a great number of food products. Check labels the next time you go to the grocery store, and you'll find these oils in breakfast cereals, salad dressings, all sorts of baked goods such as muffins, pie crusts, breads and cookies, instant hot chocolate, and frozen dinners.
The most effective way to avoid trans fatty acids is to feature in your meals natural ingredients such as fresh fruits and vegetables rather than processed foods. Cooking your own meals using unrefined oils also helps keep trans fats off your plate. The recipes in this book let you bake your own muffins and even crackers, as well as prepare healthful dressings and sauces and all sorts of main courses free of trans fats.
REMEMBER
Any time you eat deep-fried foods such as french fries or fried chicken, at home or out, you're taking in some trans fats which form in the hot oil.
Choosing ingredients that lower LDL
As you plan your meals and experiment with recipes, include foods that have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. Many common ingredients contain components that can significantly lower your risk for heart disease. The following information can help you select foods that are good for you:
Polyunsaturated fats lower LDL cholesterol levels. Sunflower and corn oils contain these fats, but these oils are highly processed, so try to avoid them. A better choice is safflower oil, which you can buy unrefined. (See Chapter 3 for more about why processed oils are less healthful than unrefined oils.)
Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat, in fish lower LDL levels and benefit the heart in other ways too, such as reducing the tendency of the blood to clot.
Monounsaturated oils, when substituted for saturated fats, can lower LDL, reduce the likelihood of LDL oxidation, and stabilize or even raise HDL cholesterol levels. In addition, monounsaturated fats don't raise triglyceride levels. To get monounsaturated fat in your diet, stock up on avocados, almonds, and extra-virgin olive oil.
Soluble fiber, to a lesser extent, also lowers cholesterol by helping eliminate it from the body. Chapter 2 gives you a list of foods that contain soluble fiber.
Soy protein also has beneficial effects when substituted for animal protein and may be particularly useful for individuals at high risk for heart disease.
Aiming for more antioxidants
If LDL cholesterol oxidizes, it's more likely to deposit in your arteries and contribute to the formation of plaque. Fortunately, nature provides a wealth of nutrients that can reverse this process, and the recipes in this book are full of these nutrients. Foods high in antioxidants are also the most colorful, so the dishes look great!
TECHNICAL STUFF
A free radical contains an electron that's missing a mate and therefore goes in search of one, darting here and there. When a free radical comes in contact with LDL cholesterol, it steals an electron from it, thereby "oxidizing" the cholesterol. Antioxidants come into play when they intercept free radicals, reacting with them and trapping them. In this way, antioxidants prevent cholesterol from oxidizing.
The most well-known antioxidants are beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C. Several minerals, including selenium, also play a role in preventing oxidation. Numerous phytochemicals, pigments in plants, function as antioxidants, too. (These compounds are in the plant to protect it from sun damage, but when you eat the plant, you reap the benefits!)
Research is showing that you can't pop an antioxidant pill and expect results. An analysis that appeared in the journal The Lancet in 2003 combined data from seven vitamin E trials and beta-carotene studies. Researchers tested the effects of taking supplements of these antioxidants on coronary heart disease, and found that supplementation of antioxidants did not reduce fatalities due to heart disease.
It appears that eating real food is the way to reap the benefits of antioxidants that can lower your risk of heart disease. This was the conclusion of an analysis of data from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Nurses' Health Study. Consuming eight or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables rich in the antioxidant vitamin C reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by 20 percent compared with eating less than three servings of these foods a day.
REMEMBER
Consuming several antioxidants together, as you find them in fruits and vegetables, provides you with a bonus of antioxidant power because antioxidants work in concert, bolstering each other's activities.
Raising HDL levels
Although lowering LDL levels is an important goal in preventing heart disease, raising HDL levels is also an important primary preventive action. About 30 percent of people with coronary heart disease have low HDL cholesterol levels while their LDL cholesterol level is normal. In fact, according to The Johns Hopkins White Papers on heart attack prevention, increasing HDL may be as important as lowering LDL in preventing heart attacks.
Quitting smoking, exercising more, and losing weight raise HDL cholesterol. Research shows that certain dietary changes can also produce results:
Replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated fat increases HDL levels. Substituting saturated fat with carbohydrates can decrease HDL levels.
Eating foods with a lower glycemic index, an indicator of a food's ability to raise blood sugar levels, is associated with higher levels of HDL. Low glycemic index foods also reduce triglycerides.
If you drink at all, consume a moderate amount of alcohol. All types are beneficial, but red wine is a good choice because of its antioxidants. (See Chapter 21 for more on healthy beverages.)
WARNING!
Please don't start drinking just because red wine can be beneficial for your health. If you do begin, first consult with your doctor about risks that may apply to you.
Figuring the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL
Another way to assess your risk of heart disease is by knowing the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL. Let's say your total cholesterol is 200 and your HDL cholesterol is 40. Dividing 200 by 40 gives you 5, making the ratio between total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol 5:1. A ratio has been proven consistently reliable in predicting risk of future heart disease.
TIP
To calculate this ratio, divide your total cholesterol by the amount of HDL. In round numbers, a ratio of 5:1 or higher is considered risky. A ratio below 3.5:1 is ideal.
To help tip the ratio in your favor, here's how to eat:
Eat enough fat and the right kinds, meaning monounsaturated oils and foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, such as avocados and almonds. Lowfat diets tend to lower HDL levels more than LDL levels, making the ratio between the two worse.
Regularly consuming garlic is well established by scientific research as a means of raising HDL levels and dropping LDL levels. Take one to three cloves of garlic in any form - raw, cooked, or as an extract in supplement form. Raw onions have also been shown to raise HDL levels.
Beans are beneficial because of their low glycemic index and their fiber content, increasing HDL levels slowly over time while reducing LDL levels more quickly. (See Chapter 16 for recipes and more information about beans.)
Avoid trans fatty acids because they increase the ratio of LDL to HDL.
Curb foods with a high glycemic index and avoid simple, refined sugars.
Lose weight.
REMEMBER
Replacing saturated fat with carbohydrates results in a decline in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol but also a decrease in HDL cholesterol.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Low-Cholesterol Cookbook For Dummies by Molly Siple Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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