The L.A. Times does it again. I'm so proud of my local paper! Today you can find a no nonsense, straight information article that helps you answer the question, "What should I eat?"
Adult men need 30 to 38 grams of total fiber per day, while women need 21 to 25 grams, according to the Institute of Medicine. All adults need about 5 of those grams to be soluble fiber. The American Heart Assn. puts oatmeal, beans, peas, citrus fruits and strawberries on its list of foods high in soluble fiber.
The intent of this Times article (and this blog post) is to give you guidance in how to choose foods that will lower your cholesterol and protect your heart. Remember, heart problems are the leading cause of death in people with eating disorders.
Part of making choices is knowing what not to choose. Cereals are binge foods. If you have an eating disorder you know about eating cereal straight from the box or having giant bowls of it with or without liquid. It turns out, according to this article, that cereals are not a magic answer to lowering your cholesterol.
The soluble fiber in some breakfast cereals can help lower cholesterol levels, but it would likely take more than a single bowl in the morning to get the desired effect, says Dr. Leslie Cho, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Women's Cardiovascular Center in Cleveland.
Plus, if you try to get all your soluble fiber from cereal your going to be taking in a lot of sugar, which causes its own problems like weight gain and inviting diabetes.
So here are the recommendations:
- Eat fiber-rich whole grains, fruits and vegetables
- Consume foods high in polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids
- Limit red meat and eggs.
The final recommendation from Dr.Cho is to use common sense. She says to read labels, eat all foods in moderation and "if you're eating Cheerios to lower your cholesterol, it makes no sense to eat them with whole fat milk."
Personally, I use almond milk on my slow cooked oatmeal, which I have about once a week for breakfast.
