Eat a Healthy Lower Fat Diet
The best way to control blood cholesterol is to eat a diet lower in fat, especially saturated fat and trans fats. To do that:
- Follow Canada’s Food Guide and eat a variety of foods from each food group
- Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits
- Choose lean meats and poultry and keep portions small
- Choose lower fat dairy products
- Choose meat alternatives like bean, peas and lentils more often
- Eat at least 2 servings of fish each week*
- Include a small amount (30-45mL) of unsaturated fat each day e.g. oil for cooking and on salads
- Use cooking methods such as baking, grilling and barbecuing rather than frying
- Limit your intake of:
- fatty meats like sausages, some deli meats and poultry with skin
- fried foods
- baked goods, especially commercially prepared ones
- pre-packaged foods that contain trans fats
- Read food labels to compare the fat content of foods
- Look for the Health Check symbol on packaged food products.
* See Health Canada’s advice on limiting certain types of fish.