Press Releases: Georgia
September 12, 2002
HEALTH TIP: Managing cholesterol
ATLANTA, Ga. – September is National Cholesterol Education Month. One of the easiest ways to manage blood cholesterol is through a reduced fat diet. Below are some tips from Kaiser Permanente on how to change dietary habits and lower cholesterol.
Protein foods
- Eat fish, poultry, and beans instead of red meat.
- Remove chicken and turkey skin before cooking. Use roasting bags or foil to retain moisture.
- Eat broiled, baked, or canned water-packed fish three to five times per week.
- Keep meat portions to 3 - 4 ounces
- Choose plant protein, such as beans, lentils, or split peas in place of meat at least 2 times per week.
- Eat red meat (beef, pork, lamb) no more than three times per week
- Select lean cuts of red meat such as round steak and extra lean ground beef.
- Cut all visible fat from meat before cooking.
- Bake, broil, steam, microwave, or barbecue meats instead of frying.
- Use cheese to replace meat. Cheeses that contain less than 5 grams of fat per ounce are lower fat choices .
Fats, nuts, and oils
- Use polyunsaturated tub margarines or light spreads, such as corn or safflower.
Use margarine sparingly as a way to decrease total fat intake. - Choose oils instead of shortening, especially canola and olive oils.
- Eat old-fashioned style peanut butter, nuts, and seeds sparingly as they are a concentrated source of fat.
- Reduce half the amount of fat in recipes when cooking or baking. Applesauce can be used to replace some of the fat in muffins and pancakes.
Soups
- Chill broths and soups to remove hard fats before eating.
Breads, cereals, and starches
- Eat grains frequently. Examples are cereals, whole grain breads, English muffins, pasta, rice, and tortillas. Use these foods to replace higher fat foods. Eat 5 to 7 servings per day.
- Use oatmeals, oatbran, and cereals made with oats often to increase soluble fiber intake.
Fruits and vegetables
- Chill broths and soups to remove hard fats before eating.
Milk
- Choose skim and 1% dairy products including milk, cottage cheese, and nonfat yogurt.
Eggs
- Use egg whites or commercial egg substitutes in place of whole eggs. Limit egg yolks to two per week.
If you would like to speak to a Kaiser Permanente physician about managing cholesterol, please contact at Matthew Grund at (404) 364-7074.
Kaiser Permanente is the state of Georgia's largest nonprofit health plan, serving the health care needs of Atlanta metro area residents for 22 years. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc. currently provides comprehensive health care services to approximately 275,000 members through 15 medical facilities in a 28-county service, and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians. The Health Plan provided more than $5 million in community benefit programs and services.
