Everyone these days is aware of the fact that that public health in United States has been affected due to several factors over the past few years. Though there are various reasons for this, the biggest guilty party is diet.

When the low cholesterol, low fat craze began, people started to reach for food that were marketed as cholesterol free. However, not many people were aware that sugar and refined grains are mostly used to replace fat, and instead of reducing health issues, these both further increased the health complications.

It's not about the number of calories or fat that you are consuming but the type of food you are consuming, and whether it is healthy or unhealthy. When you eat a decent, well balanced diet, keeping track of calories isn't important to keep your weight maintained. It's tied in with eating real food that gives your body the supplements it requires. To get an idea of this concept, there's no better example to look at than the people who live in the Mediterranean, such as Greeks and Italians.

Why is Italian food good for your health?

Italian cuisine is one of the most popular, liked and probably the best cuisine in the world. This mouth-watering cuisine has its roots dating back to ancient times.Regardless of whether you eat out at a café or feast at your place, Italian food can make a fantastic dinner. Italian food consists of a lot of cholesterol-friendly spices, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, but this tasty cuisine also contains cheese, creams and margarine as well - all of which could build your fat intake. Luckily, if you are trying to eat food that is cholesterol free, you can still eat all of your favorite Italian foods in a healthy way, without including a ton of calories and fat to your eating regimen.

One of the main reason Italian food is beneficial for you is because majority of the ingredients that are used in a traditional menu are not processed. Oils, pasta, bread and as well as diary are known to be minimally processed. Grains found in the fruits, pasta, bread, vegetables nuts, and vegetables all contain fiber that balances blood sugar, helps digestion and minimizes the levels of bad cholesterol in blood.

How to consume Italian cholesterol free food

If you are someone who loves Italian food but needs to be on a cholesterol-free diet then below mentioned are ways through which you can eat cholesterol-free, Italian food.

Make use of Whole Wheat Pasta

One of the very first things that comes to your mind when you think of Italian food is pasta. Although there is already less fat in pasta, it's better that you include whole wheat pasta in your Italian cooking as it contains a lot of fiber as compared to other types of pasta. This helps in lowering your LDL levels and cholesterol.

Say 'Yes' to Salad

There is no doubt that salad is one of the healthiest intakes for you. here are various ways to make salad. Italian food consists of many vegetables including tomato, onion, spinach and lettuce all of which are enriched in fiber and nutrients and contain no fat. You can also add green and black olives or nuts to your salad as these have a high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids that are known to balance your cholesterol levels. So, you can also eat salads as long as the ingredients included in it are all healthy. For added health benefits you add a dressing of olive oil or vinegar, rather than adding cream-based ones as those have saturated fat.

Try to cut down on cheese

Cheese is very well known when to Italian food. It is added in the majority of Italian dishes. Although packed with calcium, cheese additionally consists of saturated fat, which upon regular consumption might cause your overall blood lipids to increase. When searching for cheeses to include in your dishes, or select from the menu, go for the dishes that have low-fat cheeses, for example, ricotta or a cheese produced using skim or low-fat milk.

Try to reduce the amount of cream-based products

In order to give some texture to the dish, creams and butters are often used in Italian food. Though this is known to add taste to the dish, it can also add to the calories and fat in this dish. If you are someone who likes cream-based alfredo or risottos, you can still enjoy these dishes without having to cut them off your cholesterol-lowering diet. If you are someone who prepares their own Italian food then you can substitute your full-fat creams with low-fat ricotta cheese, olive oil, or low-fat milk that give you the same creaminess but without the extra fat. Other than this you can also use marinara sauce instead, which is used for the dressing of many Italian dishes.

Substitute the sausage

Italian dishes are infamous for having pieces of fish or lean chicken, however, a few Italian dishes also include sausages in them. Though sausages can add taste and flavor to the dish, it increases the amount of saturated fat, especially if it is pork or beef sausage. If you are someone who wants to add sausages to their dishes, you can use leaner chicken or turkey sausage instead of beef or pork sausages. You can also use spices along with meat products that are known to produce the same kind of flavor, keeping your lipid intake within limits.

Add Garlic to Your Foods

A lot of Italian dishes include garlic in them. According to studies it has been found that garlic helps keep your low-density lipoprotein levels (LDL) and cholesterol in a healthy range. Hence, whether you are dining out or making Italian food at your home, make sure your dish contains a lot of garlic.