The Best Diet for Cholesterol

Since there is no clear-cut medical opinion about which diet is the best for cholesterol, there must be some degree of personal opinion mixed in with the facts. A diet of rice cakes, tasteless chicken, and an avoidance of "fun" food is one school of thought. The Mediterranean diet on the other hand, values flavor and health, and is a way of eating that a typical American can live with.

What is the Mediterranean Diet?

• The Mediterranean diet is a particular way that food is eaten that can be found in countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, especially Greece and southern Italy. There are studies showing that despite a high amount of fat, these regions actually have a lower amount of cardiovascular disease and cholesterol. There are even lower rates of chronic disease and cancer. The diet has an emphasis on lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, olive oil and red wine. The traditional low-cholesterol diet is completely in sync with the Mediterranean diet. Both have a high consumption of fiber, low amounts of saturated fats and high amounts of unsaturated fat (the "good fat"). The difference is that with thousands of years of Mediterranean tradition, there are a huge amount of great-tasting recipes that can immediately be added to your eating habits.

What Do I Eat?

• There is a Mediterranean diet pyramid that shows the main sources of food for this eating plan. At the bottom are foods from plant sources like vegetables, fruits, potatoes, whole-grain breads, beans, nuts and seeds. As many of those sources as possible should be minimally processed, seasonally fresh and local. Olive oil is the main fat, replacing margarine and butter, and the fat should consist of 25 to 35 percent of the diet. Saturated fat will be no more than 7 to 8 percent of your total calories. Daily consumption of cheese and yogurt and twice-weekly consumption of fish and poultry are next on the pyramid. Fresh fruit is typically the dessert, and sugary and fatty snacks should be consumed less than a few times per week. At the top of the pyramid is red meat, which should be limited to a few times per month. One or two glasses of red wine for men and one glass for women should be consumed per day. Pure grape juice can be substituted for those who wish to avoid alcohol consumption (see References below).

Recipe

• Here's a recipe for Suquet de Peix (Catalan Seafood Soup). You'll need two pounds of two different seasonal firm-fleshed fish such as monkfish or racasse (scorpionfish) cut into fillets or serving pieces; four shellfish pieces like Norway lobster; one pound of potatoes (peeled in two-inch dices); three cloves of garlic (finely sliced); one medium-sized tomato (peeled and chopped); one green pepper (coarsely chopped); salt; water; one cup of broken allioli; and one cup of olive oil. Using an iron round cassola or Dutch oven add the raw seafood, potatoes, pepper, garlic, olive oil and salt. Cover it with water, making sure to add only what is necessary to cover all the ingredients. Cook them uncovered over high heat for 20 minutes. Add the broken allioli just before turning off the head. Then shake the cassola or Dutch oven to mix the ingredients well, letting it rest briefly before serving it (see Resources below).