View Past Safety Tips

Reduce the Cholesterol in Your Diet

• Substitute egg whites for half the eggs in a recipe.
• Use egg substitutes.
• Eat low-fat or nonfat dairy products.
• Substitute other protein sources, such as beans, lentils and split peas, for some meat dishes.
• Eat meats and poultry sparingly.

Reduce the Saturated Fat in Your Diet

Saturated fats cause the body to make more of the harmful cholesterol: low-density lipoproteins, or LDL. Saturated fats include those in butter, dairy products, lard, firm margarines and any animal fat. Other saturated fats include palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil found in many baked goods.

• When cooking, replace butter and lard with olive oil, canola oil, or other oils that are liquid at room temperature.
• Use soft tub margarines or squeeze-bottle margarines in place of stick margarines and butter.
• Substitute unsweetened cocoa powder for unsweetened chocolate squares in baking (three tablespoons cocoa for each square).

Cut back on All Fats

In addition to restricting cholesterol and saturated fat, you can lower your blood cholesterol by reducing the total amount of fat you eat from all sources.

• Trim visible fat from meats and skin from poultry.
• Broil, steam or poach foods to avoid having to add extra fat when cooking.
• Choose leaner cuts of meat -- “select” rather than “prime” beef.
• Use nonstick sprays in place of butter or oil in baking pans.
• Use smaller amounts of meat than recipes suggest.

Add Soluble Fiber

Some evidence indicates that soluble fiber, such as that in oatmeal, beans, many vegetables and certain fruits, can help lower LCL cholesterol in the blood. This fiber aids in maintaining weight control and regular bowel function, and can reduce your risk of colon cancer and heart disease. Add fiber gradually to your diet and always include a lot of water.

Shop Smart – Read Labels

• When you shop, read the nutrition labels and choose foods that are low in cholesterol and saturated fat and high in fiber.
• Try to buy foods that have no more than 10 percent of their calories from saturated fat. To determine the number of saturated fat calories multiply the grams of saturated fat by 9. To determine the percentage of saturated fat calories, divide the calories from saturated fat by the total calories and multiply by 100.