📊 Nearly three-quarters of Americans are cutting back on sugar (Source)
This may seem challenging, but this low cholesterol diet with no sugar can actually benefit one's health greatly. Keeping away sugary refreshments and eating lots of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables will help keep a balance not only in your level of cholesterol but also in your desires. This dual-focus diet gives an easy way to better your overall health.
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The Low Cholesterol diet with no sugar aims at avoiding added sugar while reducing cholesterol levels for a healthy heart. Such a diet recommends taking unprocessed food in its natural state, free from any forms of added sugar, so the real taste of your food comes out. This is full of vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins—all of them working together to bring cholesterol down and reduce cardiovascular disease.
Such a diet will increase the sensitivity of your taste buds to natural sweetnesses found in food such as fruits and some vegetables. It also allows healthier fat sources like avocados and olive oil, which further bring cholesterol levels down. Hence, what is delivered here is a heart-friendly diet that is easy in terms of eating habits yet nutritious for the body.
Eat less means eating fewer calories. This, in turn, means not overeating fat (which is high in calories) or sugars (which have calories but no nutrients), avoiding between-meal snacks, and eating smaller portions.
Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH
The zero sugar low cholesterol diet uses plant-based sweetener alternatives like monk fruit and stevia to replace processed sugars and feed your sweet tooth, all without raising cholesterol. It increases the consumption of high-fiber food items like quinoa and chia seeds, providing the additional benefits of blood sugar control with reduced LDL cholesterol. Healthy fats like olive oil and nuts improve HDL cholesterol for a balanced lipid profile. It also focuses on citrus fruits, a good source of flavonoids, proved to have a potential role in lowering cholesterol.
The challenge here will be, of course, going low-cholesterol while skipping sugar. A few savvy tricks can make a big difference here. Buy your ingredients in bulk, bypassing the pricey, packaged "sugar-free" snacks, get sweetness from nature through fruits like berries or apples, and save on pricier sugar substitutes. Opt for versatile, filling, really inexpensive pantry staples like oats, brown rice, and quinoa. Finally, batch-cook soups, stews, and chili to really stretch your dollar and keep things interesting for the week.
As with any dietary change, it is recommended to consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before changing your dietary habits.
