Eating SmartEating SmartBy Debra Gibbons, R.D.
You have just had your annual physical and learned that your LDL “bad” cholesterol level is too high. But before immediately starting a course of medication, you decide to make lifestyle changes in eating habits and physical activity to see what improvements you can make on your own.
Most people seem to know that they should lower their saturated and trans-fat intake and that losing weight and increasing physical activity may be beneficial in improving cholesterol levels as well as overall wel-being.
In conjunction with these steps, you also should increase your intake of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Insoluble is what your grandmother called roughage and is required for proper digestion and elimination. Soluble fiber slows digestion, helps in the absorption of nutrients from food and may lower your blood cholesterol. Soluble fiber is believed to decrease the absorption of cholesterol and fatty acids and thus allows your body to eliminate them naturally.
The American Heart Association recommends consuming 25-35 grams of both types of dietary fiber a day through foods, not supplements. Most Americans consume about half that amount.
Where to find soluble fiber?
Cereal companies have done a great job in letting the public know that oatmeal and Cheerios may lower cholesterol and the “secret ingredient” is soluble fiber. One cup of oatmeal has four grams of total fiber, two of which are soluble. You would need to eat 6½ cups of oatmeal a day to reach your 25-gram total. Not a very realistic or appealing idea.
Eating a cereal with soluble fiber could be part of your daily routine, but there are many cereals to choose from. So check the nutrition labels.
Soluble fiber also is found in many fruits and vegetables such as citrus fruits, strawberries, pears, apples, oranges, prunes, broccoli, carrots and Brussels sprouts. Other great sources include lentils, chick peas and the bean family: kidney, navy, black, pinto and lima. A half-cup of kidney beans contains six grams of fiber, three of which are soluble.
Increasing your daily fruit and vegetable intake will automatically increase your fiber intake and also help you attain the current recommendation of two cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables.
Flax seed is another source of both insoluble and soluble fiber as well as omega-3 fatty acids and can be found in local supermarkets and health food stores. One to two beneficial tablespoons of ground flax seed for adults may easily be sprinkled in your cereal, yogurt or applesauce.
Remember to gradually increase the fiber in your diet to give your body time to adjust to the new routine. And, of course, increase your fluid intake by drinking more water.
(Ms. Gibbons, a Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator, provides Outpatient Nutrition Medical Therapy at Cape Cod Hospital.)