Create your own low cholesterol diet without reading a cookbook

When considering a low cholesterol diet, remember that animal products are the only source of cholesterol and the largest source of fat in the diet. Using this as a guide you can select low cholesterol foods or plant-based foods that have no cholesterol to prepare your meals.

Cholesterol is useful for helping our bodies make strong bones, sex hormones, and handle stress properly. Too much cholesterol, on the other hand, deprives our tissues of oxygen and damage important organs.

Heart disease is America's number one killer and your blood cholesterol level is "the single most important factor" in determining your risk of heart disease. Many people with diabetes also have high cholesterol levels are at increased risks for heart problems.

How important is it to have a low cholesterol diet? Consider that it is said in medical circles, every 10% increase in your cholesterol level heightened your chance of a heart attack by 30%.

If you are in a high risk group, such as if you have diabetes, a no-cholesterol diet is even better than a low cholesterol diet.

Exercise your strength and freedom to choose

In choosing low cholesterol foods you have to govern your taste - your appetite. Our appetite is a strong force; it is felt as hunger. Naturally, we do not like to change and most high cholesterol foods have great appeal to the palate. Seafood products are notoriously high in cholesterol, but are relished as delicacies. Vegetarian dishes can easily be no-cholesterol meals, yet they are not quite popular even among those who are at high risk of cardiovascular events.

It takes great inner strength to discipline the taste. This is evident from how popular "fast food" is compared to more wholesome and healthy food products - even though there is an upward trend in popularity of vegan eating.

Choosing a diet to lower cholesterol is a powerful thing. Diabetes is considered to be somewhat hereditary, but very few people have a genetic disposition to high cholesterol levels. It is created by your diet. Hence a cholesterol lowering diet should be the practice of everyone.

If you feel that the ZERO cholesterol diet (i.e. a 100% vegetarian diet) is too restrictive and you want to trade off some of your longevity for a bit of "eating pleasure" then you need to consider the cholesterol content of some common animal products.

FOOD	CHOLESTEROL (mg)
Skim milk (1 cup)	5
Cottage cheese (½ cup)	24
Ice cream (1 cup)	54
Cheddar cheese (2 slices)	56
Fish (5 oz)	85
Beef, pork, chicken (5 oz)	135
Shrimp (4 oz)	172
Egg yolk (one)	220
Liver (3 oz)	370
SOURCE: Health by Choice, Not by Chance, Ludington & Diehl

Whenever you think of a low cholesterol diet remember the food facts above. You will never eat in ignorance. It is always good to remember also, that cholesterol is only found in animal products.

A total vegetarian diet ensures that the cholesterol found in your blood stream will be that manufactured by your liver for your body's use.

In my opinion, the ideal low cholesterol diet is the anti-diabetes diet described in general on this site. I have my undeniable personal experience with that one.

Instead of completely adopting a low cholesterol diet, the popular trend is to "cut back" or lessen cholesterol intake. This means the effect on lowering cholesterol is proportionally marginal. Most people who simply cut back on the amounts of meat and eggs may still have to depend on prescription medication in order to maintain a normal level. However, very few people on a 100% vegetarian, low fat diet need to worry about their cholesterol levels.

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