One of the keys to keeping your cholesterol down is avoiding all sugar and carbohydrates, which your body converts into sugar. Yet this can be very challenging considering how sugar and carbohydrates are in so much food around us. Sometimes finding the right substitutes is the most challenging part of eating a cholesterol-friendly diet.
Here are five tips for bringing your cholesterol down through your diet — from improving your meals at home to choosing wisely when going out to restaurants.
1. Cauliflower is your friend
Consider switching from regular brown or white rice to cauliflower rice when making your meal. Cauliflower is much lower in carbohydrates but still can mimic the textures of many starches.
Mashed cauliflower makes a good substitute for mashed potatoes. As well, cauliflower-based dough is a great alternative to regular flour dough. You can make cauliflower pizza in your own home, and it’s a much healthier alternative to regular pizza.
2. Low carb = low sugar
If you need to eat tortillas with your meals, consider purchasing low-carb tortillas instead of regular wheat or corn tortillas. There is usually more fiber in low-carb tortillas, and your sugar levels are less likely to spike when eating them. This will have less of an impact on your cholesterol than eating regular tortillas.
3. Got almond milk?
Cow’s milk (including nonfat milk) contains lactose, which is a type of sugar. Drinking regular milk can lead to problems with managing your weight and cholesterol.
Unsweetened almond milk, however, is much lower in sugar content and can be a great alternative. When you shop for almond milk, remember to choose an unsweetened type. Read the label and make sure there are no added sugars.
If you’re allergic to almonds, unsweetened coconut milk can also work as a substitute for cow’s milk.
4. Bake intelligently
It’s possible to bake with sweeteners that don’t adversely affect your cholesterol. Remove all sugar (brown, white, coconut, agave, raw) from your recipes and replace it with natural substitutes that don’t harm your body. These include alternatives like stevia (which comes from the stevia plant) or sugar alcohols like xylitol or erythritol.
Products sold in markets like Truvia Baking Blend and Swerve are also fantastic for baking. As well, you can try substituting almond or coconut flour instead of white or wheat baking flour in recipes.
5. Read labels
Many things have hidden sugar or high fructose corn syrup in them. One common example is tomato sauce, which most people think is healthy, but frequently has added sugars. This also applies to some peanut and almond butters as well. Get in the habit of reading labels to check ingredient lists so you can avoid accidentally ingesting sugars.
