low cholesterol diet help

Question
 Hello there,
Thank you in advance for taking time to answer my concerns. I am not well educated in the term of nutrition at all. If you can give me some advice I would realy appreciate it, becasue eating is becoming tedious and unpleasant now that I am on a low cholesterol diet.
I was told by my Dr. that my cholesterol was 383. I am 33 years old, 5'9 227 lbs. I told to my dr. to change my eating habits and cut out cholesterol, I have been placed on tricor medication.
I am getting very exhausted eating fish and beans each day, toasted bread with margarine EVERYDAY! It's been a month and I can't find anything to eat at work and get home bored and tempted to eat some MEAT or enjoy something tasty. Can you help me in suggesting what may be some good recipes or low cholesterol ideas, so that I could eat with the rest of my family and friends. I don't know enough to know what I can and can not eat and my choices seem limited.
Thank you again,
Robert  

Answer
Robert,

You cannot realistically think that I (or anyone) can enlighten you THAT much in a few paragraphs.  Learning about proper nutrition is a long-term task.  You need to devote time and energy in learning for yourself what healthy eating is all about.  No one can do that for you.

Let's start by giving you a few good websites to look at;
"Diet and Cholesterol"
http://www.lipid-clinic.com/diet.html

American Heart Association Nutrition website
http://www.deliciousdecisions.org/

MyPyramid.gov
http://www.mypyramid.gov

Also, The American Heart Association's "No Fad Diet" book
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3031323

American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, Third Edition
http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=1414941

Lastly, here are a few basics of healthy eating:
* Eat a diet low in saturated fats (animal fats) and trans-fatty acids (margarine or shortening).
* Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
* Eat a variety of grain products, especially whole grains (complex carbohydrates).
* Limit sugars and low nutrient foods high in sugar such as soda pop, candy, etc. (simple carbohydrates).
* Eat an appropriate number of calories to maintain a healthy weight.
* Stay physically active to remain fit. Exercise 30 minutes or more on most days.

Robert, it is your body, your health and your life.  You need to put in the effort to learn for yourself.  There is just too much information for anyone to educate you over email or a message board or AllExperts.com.

A dietician could be very helpful and would spend hours talking with you face-to-face to start to present the basics of healthy eating.  

The information I've given to you above should take you weeks to look over and read.  It also contains almost as much information on diet and cholesterol as I have in my head.  Now, it's all available to you. Best of luck.

Todd
www.lipid-clinic.com

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