Low Cholesterol / Low-Fat Diets
If you have been told by your doctor that you have a problem
with your cholesterol, you have come to the right place.
The recipes and meal plans on the Dr. Gourmet website are
low-fat and low cholesterol. They have been created to help
you maintain a healthy weight and improve your cholesterol
levels while eating great food.
You can have a major impact on lowering your total cholesterol while improving both the good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) by eating a diet that is low in saturated fat, high in monounsaturated fat and low in cholesterol. (More information about the types of cholesterol.)
All of the recipes have had the nutrition information calculated for each serving. The amounts of such things as fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium listed are based on rules created by the Food and Drug Administration for food labels. Those guidelines were created using a 2000 calorie diet. Your doctor may want you to eat less for purposes of losing weight or to help control your cholesterol.
The goal is for you to reduce the amount of fat to about 30%
of your calories and saturated fat to less than 10%. If you
have very high cholesterol, your doctor may recommend that
you eat less fat and cholesterol. For total cholesterol you should try
to keep under 300mg per day but if your cholesterol is very high, eating
less than 200mg per day is often recommended.
Most of the recipes on the site are under 15 grams of fat per serving, but keep in mind that it is your average intake that is important. One day you might eat more and others less. It is the long term reduction of fat, calories and cholesterol that can help you live longer and live better. Most of the recipes that are higher in fat are those that have high levels of the healthy fats, like monounsaturated fats and Omega 3 fats.
The easy way to get started is to begin using The Real World Diet. This interactive resource will help you create customized two-week meal plans that will help you eat better and improve your cholesterol schores.
| Calories | Approximate Recommended Total Fat in grams per day | Approximate Recommended Saturated Fat in grams per day |
| 1000 | 37 | < 11 |
| 1200 | 40 | < 13 |
| 1500 | 50 | < 17 |
| 1800 | 60 | < 20 |
| 2000 | 65 | < 22 |