Cholesterol questions

Press, 8 December 1988, Page 9

Cholesterol questions

syoUR FOOD STYLE

JANICE BREMER DIETITIAN

Ovver the past two months, I have been bombarded with queries and misperceptions about foods widely promoted for cholesterol-lowering or low-cholesterol properties.

In my last column, I described how food cholesterol and blood cholesterol are different, and that saturated fats in our foods are far more potent elevators of blood cholesterol than cholesterol actually in our foods.

I also emphasised the differences between different fibre containing foods and that a high fibre diet goes hand-in-hand with the low-fat diet for reducing risks for heart disease.

After oat bran and special margarines, discussed last time, here are further of your questions answered:

How many eggs per week am I allowed? This question has arisen from the advertisement in the “Heart Food Festival” booklet, which recommends adding an egg to your daily diet. An egg a day is reasonable for those wanting to keep to a low fat diet to prevent or delay heart disease. However, for those at risk for high blood cholesterol or who already have high cholesterol levels, or who have heart or vascular (arteries) disease or diabetes, three or less eggs a week is the level advocated by most heart disease authorities around the world.

Not only are eggs one of our highest sources of food cholesterol, they also contain as much total fat as protein. Recommended protein sources for the low-fat diet such as lean meats, skinned chicken and fish have from three (for meat) to six (for white fleshed chicken) to 24 (for white fleshed fish) times more protein than fat.

When you have to follow a low-cholesterol diet as well as a low saturated fat diet, the only foods with significant levels of dietary cholesterol, after all foods rich in saturated fats have been eliminated, are egg yolks (the whites are low cholesterol and low fat), organ meats (liver, kidney, etc.), and the pates made from them — even chicken liver), prawns, shrimps and some squid.

These foods should be occasional treats and not part of the usual diet of anyone with a high blood ,cholesterol. They , should not be overeaten t>y anyone else, and a reasonable

egg consumption is about five per week for those without risk factors for heart disease, and 3 per week for those at risk. This quota is to include that used in baking - dishes for meals, snacks or muffins, cakes and such.

A note about chicken: Chicken with skin has 60 per cent of its calories as fat calories; skinned, only 30 per cent of the calories are fat calories.

Can I have sausages?

Most butchers will say you cannot make a good sausage without fat. Two regular style sausages have the fat content of four grilled fillet steaks. Salami is half fat — 80 per cent of its calories-energy are from fat.

These sausage products have no place in a low-fat diet — not even as a flavour agent. If you want something tasty, buy pastrami, smoked beef or lean ham. These are salty, however, an extra consideration if you have high blood cholesterol.

The only low-fat sausages that seem to be regularly available are venison sausages. Look for the pack saying 4g fat per IOOg. At this level of fat, they are suitable for anyone on a low-fat diet.

What is the difference between oat products? Specifically, this reader wanted to know the difference between rolled oats, wholegrain oats, oat bran and oatmeal. From our local sources we have the following information: Rolled oats are cut, stemmed and flaked oats. They make a quickly prepared porridge and can be used in mueslis, baking and breads.

Wholegrain oats are when the groat is kept whole (not cut), steamed and then flaked. They are excellent soaked overnight in milk as a cereal in themselves, perhaps with fruit and a sprinkle of nuts or seeds overtop. They are also appetising served unsoaked with milk, dried fruit and a sprinkle of seeds, «r in muesli or baking.

Oat bran has been milled to concentrate the fibre found naturally in oats. However, our oat bran bought locally can have a lot of its starch sifted out to make a higher fibre product. The fibre in oat bran in New Zealand appears to be 3.5 per cent higher than for wholegrain oats (13.5 g versus lOg per lOOg) which is not a great difference over the amounts we normally eat.

Oatmeal has less fibre than either wholegrain or rolled oats, or oat bran. It is a granular oaten product and makes a smoother porridge. Some overseas research shows that the less ground up a grain, the less blood sugar and blood fats (including cholesterol) rise. This applies particularly to wheat, however a small amount of evidence shows that this may not be so for oats, and that even the ground-up varieties, like oat bran, cause little strain on our metabolic processing of sugars and fats. However, we may yet learn of more advantages of whole oats.

What about apple chips and honeyed nuts? Something claiming to be “all natural” when, in fact, it is a perfectly nutritious food (apples) processed in vegetable oil and corn syrup (a highly concentrated sugar), can only be said to be “unhealthy.” Food labels listing “vegetable fats” and, in this example, “vegetable oils” as ingredients, are most often referring to highly saturated (and highly unsuitable) palm oil or its derivatives.

Pouring honey or other sugary matter over nuts is just another way of tempting your calorie consuming tastebuds — double trouble is sugar fat.

In my next column, we take another look at cheeses and fish. You will also be reminded that heart disease is not only about cholesterol and the slow progressive narrowing of arteries, but that blood clotting factors are vitally important too.