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Cholesterol-lowering cooking tips

The definition of "low fat" just got more specific. Medical guidelines suggest that in order to keep your cholesterol in check, you should reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat. Saturated fat is found in animal products, including meat and whole-milk dairy foods. To cut back on saturated fats, try these cooking tips—they're a healthier way for the whole family to eat:

• Rely on spices and other seasonings instead of fat for flavor
• Substitute two egg whites for each whole egg in recipes
• Select poultry, fish and lean cuts of meat
• Remove the skin from chicken and trim the fat from meat
• Use low-fat cooking methods like poaching, baking and broiling instead of frying
• Substitute bouillon for oil when sautéing or stir-frying
• Use low-fat or non-fat yogurt, sour cream and cream cheese instead of the high-fat varieties.

Eat Your Oatmeal

Research indicates that eating two servings of oats each day lowers cholesterol levels and reduces heart disease risk. A Northwestern University study that evaluated 127 postmenopausal women with moderate cholesterol levels to see the affect oat fiber had on lowering total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol levels. Women in the study were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments for six weeks: oats and milk, oats and soy, wheat and milk, and wheat and soy. Results showed that those who consumed oats had lower total and LDL cholesterol levels than the women who consumed wheat.

Get Serious About Exercising

Do you keep putting off exercising? You shouldn't. Not only can regular physical activity such as walking make you look and feel better, it may lower your LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels, raise HDL or "good" cholesterol levels, help you trim down if you're overweight, lower your blood pressure and make your heart and lungs more fit. Before starting any activity program, talk with your health care professional to make sure it's safe for you.

Trans Fatty Acids: What You Need to Know

Like saturated fat, trans fatty acids (TFA) can raise cholesterol. TFA is present in small amounts in various animal products such as beef, pork, lamb and the butterfat present in butter and milk. To avoid them, use canola or olive oil when possible. Stay away from French fries, fast food, doughnuts and cookies—all high in TFA. Don't even think about eating fast foods and commercial baked goods. Not only are these foods very high in fat, but that fat is also likely to be very hydrogenated, with loads of TFA.

Try a Cholesterol-lowering Spread

Two margarine-like spreads approved as foods by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can reduce cholesterol levels. Benecol contains hydrogenated sterols derived from pine tree wood pulp, while Take Control contains naturally occurring unsaturated sterols from soybean oil. Studies find that plant sterols effectively lower cholesterol even in patients already on statin medications. You should use two to three grams a day.

Monitoring Your Cholesterol at Home

A word of caution concerning the new home cholesterol tests now available at local pharmacies and through the Internet: home cholesterol tests such as the CholesTrak, Home Access Instant Cholesterol Test, and First Check Home Cholesterol Test are indeed faster than visiting your health care provider, but may not be very useful. The kits, which require the user to draw blood from a prick of the skin, measure only total cholesterol (not HDL, LDL and triglycerides individually)—interesting information that doesn't provide accurate information about your cardiovascular risk or much about the impact of diet or exercise on your cholesterol.

Two other home test kits, Cardio Check and Lifestream Personal Cholesterol Monitor can tell you your total cholesterol, HDL, and triglyceride levels (not LDL), but requires three separate jabs with a sharp lancet and costs more than $100.