1.  Use liquid vegetable oils instead of solid fats when cooking.

• • Vegetable oils include canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, olive oil and etc. These contain good fats that help improve HDL levels in the body.
  • Limit using solid fats such as lard, butter, shortening and hydrogenated fats.

2. Reduce saturated fat in meats and poultry.

• • Select lean cuts of meat with little visible fat.
  • Trim all visible fat from meat before cooking.
  • Choose to broil, pan-broil, roast, bake, grill or pan-grill meats and poultry instead of pan-frying.
  • Use a rack to drain off fat when broiling, roasting, or baking. Instead of basting with fat drippings, keep meat moist with wine, fruit juices or heart-healthy marinades.
  • Roast meats at low temperature to allow more fat to come out of the meat.
  • Poach or cook eggs in the shell in simmering water instead of frying.
  • Remove the skin from the chicken before cooking. If the chicken dries out too much, try basting with wine, fruit juices or a heart-healthy oil-based marinade. Or leave the skin on for cooking and then remove it before eating.

3. Cook vegetables in little fat.

• • Try cooking vegetables in little amount of oil and add a little amount of water, if needed.
  • Explore steaming and baking vegetables.

4. Cook ahead.

• • Stews, boiled meat, soup stock or other dishes in which fat cooks into the liquid can be refrigerated. Once the fat solidifies on top, removed the hardened fat.
  • When doing sauces of gravies, let your liquid cool, then remove the hardened fat before making the gravy.

5. Increase fiber and whole grains in recipes.

• • Toast and crush or cube fibre-rich whole grain bread to make breadcrumbs, stuffing or croutons.
  • Serve whole fruit at breakfast in place of juice
  • Add oats, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, fruits and vegetables to your daily meals. These are rich in soluble fibre which helps prevent the cholesterol from entering the bloodstream and travel to other parts of the body. With the help of soluble fibre from these food items, excess cholesterol will be excreted from the body through feces. As you increase your fibre intake, also increase your water intake. This will help to reduce your risk of becoming constipated.

• • Stews, boiled meat, soup stock or other dishes in which fat cooks into the liquid can be refrigerated. Once the fat solidifies on top, removed the hardened fat.
  • When doing sauces of gravies, let your liquid cool, then remove the hardened fat before making the gravy.