American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [34]
• When buying processed foods, read the ingredient list and avoid those that list trans fats or hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Look for foods that contain unhydrogenated oils.
• Use naturally occurring unhydrogenated oils such as canola or olive oil.
• Choose the soft or liquid margarines sold in tubs or squeeze bottles instead of stick margarines or butter. Look for soft margarines with vegetable oil listed as the first ingredient and that contain no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. Tub margarines that contain plant substances called sterols or phytosterols or stanols have highly beneficial effects on blood cholesterol levels, primarily by lowering the level of harmful LDL. Eating 1 to 2 tablespoons of these margarines with your food each day can reduce total blood cholesterol by as much as 15 to 20 percent.
• Avoid fatty fried foods such as French fries and doughnuts, and snacks such as cookies, crackers, and chips.
Dietary Fat
Different dietary fats can have either beneficial or harmful effects on your blood cholesterol profile. Your blood contains lipo (fat) proteins that influence your risk of heart disease. One lipoprotein, called HDL cholesterol, is good for the heart. Another lipoprotein, called LDL cholesterol, can be harmful to the heart and can increase your risk of heart attack.
Blood cholesterol is a gummy substance your liver makes to help manufacture hormones and bile (a fluid that aids digestion). The liver makes most of the cholesterol from saturated fats that you consume in foods such as meats, baked goods, and full-fat dairy products. A smaller amount of cholesterol is absorbed into the bloodstream directly from cholesterol-containing foods such as egg yolks. The amount of cholesterol in your blood is determined not only by your diet, but also by hereditary factors. Some people inherit a susceptibility to elevated blood cholesterol.
Comparing Types of Fat
Types of Fat Major Food Sources Effects on Blood Cholesterol
Monounsaturated fats Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, nuts, avocados Lower LDL (bad) and total cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol
Polyunsaturated fats Corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, flaxseed oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, fish Lower total cholesterol and can lower HDL (good) cholesterol
Omega-3 fatty acids Fatty, cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna Lower total cholesterol, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and raise HDL (good) cholesterol
Plant sterols Some tub margarines and salad dressings Lower total cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol
Saturated fats Fatty red meat, dark meat of poultry, whole and 2% dairy products, butter, chocolate, coconut oil, palm oil Increase total cholesterol and increase LDL (bad) cholesterol
Trans fats Most stick margarines, vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, deep-fried chips, many fast foods, most commercial baked goods Increase total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol and may lower HDL (good) cholesterol
Dietary cholesterol Egg yolks, shrimp, liver, full-fat dairy products Raises total cholesterol (but not as much as saturated fats and trans fats do)
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins are chemicals in food that your body needs to function normally. Minerals are elements absorbed by plant foods that are essential for your body in very small amounts. With the exception of vitamin D, your body cannot make vitamins or minerals, so you need to get them from the foods you eat. Some people can get sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals from their diet, but many of us need to take a multivitamin/mineral supplement to ensure that we get all of the essential nutrients. Although food is the best source of nutrients, most doctors now