LETTER
Make Low-Cholesterol Diets Tasty
John La Puma, MD
1 April 1994 | Volume 120 Issue 7 | Pages 621-622
TO THE EDITOR:
Substituting olive oil for butter and supplementing meals with psyllium and garlic pills are two mildly effective steps for reducing serum cholesterol. Subtracting dietary fat seems like the most direct solution [1] but ignores patient preferences for foods that are rich and satisfying. Preferences start early and are taught in school. If kids do not eat their lunches (38% fat), for example, they may opt for a Big Mac (47% fat) [3, 4].
Subtracting fat without adding a new, equally appealing taste is a recipe for noncompliance. Many chefs, and a few physicians and dieticians, are now interested in ways to make low-fat cooking taste good [4]. Giving patients and their families new ways to cook at home and teaching them how to choose flavorful, low-fat meals in restaurants should become part of office-based disease prevention. Physicians can and should become expert in adding flavor, not just subtracting fat.
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Author and Article Information
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Lutheran General Hospital; The University of Chicago; Chicago, IL 60614
1. Pearson TA, Patel RV. The quest for a cholesterol-decreasing diet: should we subtract, substitute or supplement? Ann Intern Med. 1993; 119:627-8.
2. What's for lunch? Too much fat and salt. New York Times. 26 October 1993; A8.
3. Fast food for fat-watchers. Consumer Reports. September 1993; 576.
4. La Puma J. Rx great food: five recent low-fat cookbooks. JAMA. (In press).
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