About Diabetes & Low Cholesterol Diets

Being at greater risk of heart and circulatory diseases than the population, diabetics need to be careful---not only about controlling carbohydrates and sugars---but also about keeping fats and cholesterol levels in moderation. This is crucial, because cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that links with other fatty acids in the body. If there is too much intake of high-fat food, a buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries can result. Knowing these details, and taking the appropriate dietary steps in response to them, can literally be a matter of life and death.

Determine Your Cholesterol Levels

• Physicians can test diabetic patients to determine fat levels within the body. This includes good and bad fats, including triglycerides, high, low and low density lipids in the blood. Low density lipids, or LDL, are considered bad fats. High density lipids, on the other hand, are considered good fats. High triglycerides should be avoided too. The cutoff point for high cholesterol is 200 mg/dl. However, when a patient's personal factors and health conditions are considered, a doctor may want him to maintain a lower cholesterol level.

Bad Fats in Meat: Saturated Fats

• Bad fats that raise cholesterol include saturated fats, which include most animal products or meat. This is the white visible on the edge of steaks, or the oil pouring off a grilled lamb chop as it is cooked. Diabetics wanting to control their cholesterol must limit high-fat meats, such as steaks with a lot of marbled fat, lard, sausage and even some lunch meats. The best choices are lean meats, such as skinless chicken breasts, turkey, fish---which also includes omega 3, a good fat---and meat substitutes such as tofu, or vegetarian patties.

Bad Fats In Baked Goods and Other Products

• Trans fats are another name for hydrogenated fats, or hydrogen chemically added to vegetable oils. These occur in foods such as margarine, or shortening, and added to baked goods. Diabetics should be careful of foods fried in trans fat, such as french fries. This is one reason that diabetics should limit fried foods. A diabetic can use a liquid vegetable oil, or even olive oil when baking. Applesauce, even for some baked breads, can add moisture. Choose foods that are labeled non-trans fat, such as whole grain products and baking products, using alternative fats or others that are low-fat.

Good Fats: Choose Unsaturated!

• Unsaturated fats are those that come from plants, including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These are liquid fats, not solid ones. Monounsaturated fats include peanut, canola, and olive oil, as well as most nuts and avocados. Polyunsaturated fats include some liquid vegetable oils, as well as corn oil, safflower oil, and soybean oil. Seeds such as sunflower seeds also contain this sort of fat. These fats do have the same amount of calories, but can be included in the diabetic's diet when used in moderation.

Good Fats: Omega 3s And Others

• Omega 3 fats are known to protect the vascular system, which is important to the diabetic's health. Include these fats in any diabetic diet. These fats are found in fish oil, flaxseed and different types of fish, such as herring, albacore tuna, salmon and mackerel, as well as walnuts.

Other Things to Avoid Cholesterol

• Seek fat-free products, of which there are many on the market---low-fat mayonnaise and yogurt, for example. Avoid using shortening, butter and margarine, and make healthier choices. Some products are specially made, such as butter-like items that use olive oil or yogurt as their base, instead of saturated fats. Limit your intake of egg yolks. Stick to Eggbeaters or other egg products; otherwise, remove or reduce yolks for a white egg omelet. Avoid organic meats, as these are full of extremely high cholesterol levels---particularly calves' brains.

Quality High-Fiber Foods

• Visit the local health-food store to see what low fat and even low carbohydrate choices exist. Focus on a diet that has moderate portions of meat and dairy products, while allowing for more fruits, vegetables and high-fiber foods. Oatmeal is known as a grain that can lower cholesterol levels. Learn other healthy choices to help reduce cholesterol levels.