PRITIKIN PROGRAM: EATING NO CHOLESTEROL
What would happen if you ate no cholesterol at all? Since you have no need for any outside source, your liver and other tissues would simply produce what they needed anyway. However, unless you’re a strict vegetarian you might want to include some animal foods (including nonfat dairy foods) in your meals, because they’re an important source of vitamins D and B12, which are not found in vegetable foods. Also, many of us have developed a taste for such foods, and they add flavor and palatability to our dishes. (If you’re a strict vegetarian, alternate sources of B12 include supplements and some fortified breakfast cereals; vitamin D you can get from the sun.)It’s not hard to ensure that you’re consuming fairly safe levels of cholesterol – just follow the Pritikin Lifetime Eating Plan. And if your serum cholesterol level is too high, you’ve got the best possible chance of lowering it through diet alone simply by enjoying the delicious and versatile menus we offer. Our studies have shown that after three weeks at a Pritikin Longevity Center, the average participant experiences a drop in serum cholesterol of 25 percent. Those who had a beginning cholesterol level in excess of 265 mg/dl had an average drop of 31 percent. This means that on the average, people cut their risk of heart disease by 50 percent; those with a beginning cholesterol level over 265 mg/dl cut their risk by 60 percent or more! Most people whose cholesterol levels are too high and who then adopt the Pritikin program will find a much bigger drop in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol than they could ever hope to achieve with the National Cholesterol Education Program/American Heart Association diet.*14/345/5*
