Practical Approach to Low Cholesterol, Low Saturated Fat Diet
Knowing which foods to avoid and in what form to consume the chosen food can be an effective way toward choosing a low cholesterol and low saturated fat diet.
| Food Category | Foods to Reduce | Foods to Choose |
| Meat and meat products | Fatty cuts of beef, lamb, pork, organ meats. Red meat contains nearly 50 percent saturated and trans fats. Most cuts of red meat are full of cholesterol too. | Fish, roasted / grilled chicken. |
| Dairy products | Whole milk, cream, whipped toppings, whole milk curds, cottage cheese, ice creams. One cup of yogurt made from whole milk contains about 6g of saturated fat. | Skim milk, one percent fat milk, buttermilk, low-fat dairy products, cottage cheese made from low-fat milk. |
| Egg | Egg yolks (egg yolks contain cholesterol). | Egg whites (two whole egg whites could be substituted for one whole egg in a recipe). |
| Commercial baked foods and chips and fried snacks (high in saturated and trans fats) | Pies, cakes, doughnuts, croissants, pastries, muffins, biscuits, crackers, high fat cookies, fried snack foods. | Homemade baked foods with unsaturated oils, whole grain breads. |
| Saturated fats and oils | Coconut oil, ghee, margarine, cream, mayonnaise. | Unsaturated vegetable oils, cream and mayonnaise prepared from hung curd at home, salad dressings made with liquid oils, home made dips or salad dressings. |
| Nuts | Coconut. | Seeds and nuts (they are rich in MUFA and PUFA). Fruits, seeds and nuts contain no cholesterol and most contain no saturated fat. |
