Low-Fat & Low-Cholesterol Diet Foods to Eat

Overview

Some foods contain a lot of fat but no cholesterol, and some foods contain cholesterol but no fat. Creating a meal plan that keeps consumption of both cholesterol and fats within recommended guidelines requires some basic knowledge about dietary fats and cholesterol and how they affect the fat inside your body. But a cholesterol-lowering diet leaves you with many healthy -- and tasty -- food choices.

Fat Numbers to Count

When choosing low-fat, low-cholesterol foods to eat, keep in mind these guidelines provided by MayoClinic.com, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet: Keep your total daily fat to 20 to 35 percent of your total daily calories. This amounts to 44 to 78 g of fat, or 400 to 700 calories. Limit cholesterol, found in eggs, dairy and meat, to 200 mg to 300 mg daily. Use the lower figure if you are at high risk for heart disease. Keep in mind that animal products with fat removed -- skim milk, for example -- still contain cholesterol. Saturated fat should make up no more than 10 percent of your daily calories -- about 200 calories or 22 g. Keep your intake of trans-fat to no more than 1 percent of your daily calories, or about 2 g.

Healthy Fats

You needn't limit your intake of healthy fats, but remember to include them in your daily totals. Healthy fats can help remove unhealthy fats from your system. Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can clog your arteries, restricting blood flow and making you more susceptible to heart disease. But monounsaturated fat such as olive oil can help loosen these hardened fats and push them out of your bloodstream. You can use olive oil to sauté foods, in salad dressings and on bread as a replacement for butter and margarine. Nuts and seeds, including walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and flaxseed, also contain cholesterol-reducing fats. Other good sources of healthy fats include mackerel, salmon and sardines.

Fiber

Fiber can help lower your LDL -- low-density lipoprotein -- cholesterol, also called the bad cholesterol. Fiber helps move fat out of your body before it has a chance to stick to the walls of your arteries. High-fiber foods to include in a low-cholesterol, low-fat diet include beans, such as black, pinto and kidney; fresh citrus fruits such as lemons, lime and grapefruit; whole grains, such as barley and oats; and fruits with edible skin, such as apples and pears. MayoClinic.com recommends that men consume about 28 to 34 g of fiber daily, and women 22 to 28 g.

Protein

Choose your protein sources carefully, as most animal products contain both cholesterol and saturated fat. If you like beef, keep portions small -- about 3.5 ounces -- and choose extra lean cuts. Beef cuts that have less than 5 g of total fat, 95 mg of cholesterol and 2 g of saturated fat include top sirloin, bottom round steak and eye of round roast. Other good sources of animal protein include lean poultry, fish, egg whites and low-fat dairy. You can also obtain protein from vegetables such as soybeans and legumes.