Cooking Glossary  

Term

What it means

Acidulated

Water & lemon juice or vinegar, prevents discoloration of vegetables or fruit

Agar

Gelatin made from seaweed

A La

In the style of

A La Carte

Each dish paid for separately

A La Mode

Topped with ice cream (Am.) beef pot roast with vegetables & sauce (Fr.)

Albumen

Egg white protein

Al Dente

To the tooth, tender but still firm, not soft

Allumette

Cut into pieces the size & shape of matchsticks

Alum

Used in home pickling

Aperitif

Alcoholic beverage taken to stimulate appetite

Appareil

Prepared mixture of ingredients

Aquaculture

Farm raising of fish & shellfish

Aromatics

Herbs & spices

Arrowroot

A thickener

Aspic

Clear jelly from stock & gelatin

Au Gratin

Covered with sauce, cheese or bread crumbs, then baked

Au Jus

Meat in its own natural juices

Au Lait

Beverage served with milk

Au Naturel

Plainly done

Bake

Cook with dry heat oven

Bake blind

Partially or completely baking unfilled pastry crust

Baking Powder

Sodium bicarbonate & cream of tartar

Baking Soda

Sodium bicarbonate a component of baking powder

Ballotine

Boned, stuffed, rolled meat or poultry

Bannock

Large round bread

Barbecue

Grilling food over wood or charcoal fire, using marinade

Baste

Moisten with pan juices during roasting

Bavarian Cream

Custard from heavy cream, eggs, sweets & flavors

Béarnaise

Reduction of white wine, shallots, tarragon & butter

Beat

to produce a homogeneous substance

Béchamel

White sauce, milk thickened with light roux & onion

Bench Proof

Raising dough before baking

Beurre Blanc

"White butter" white wine, shallots & butter

Beurre Manie

Mixture of equal weight butter & flour, for thickening

Beurre Noir

Sauce of browned butter, vinegar, parsley & capers

Neurre Noisette

White butter heated until browned

Binder

Ingredient used to hold other ingredients together

Bisque

Soup based n crustaceans or a vegetable puree, with cream

Bivalve

Mollusk with two hinged shells, i.e., clams & oysters

Blanch

Briefly boiling in water

Blanquette

White stew, veal, chicken or lamb

Blend

Amalgamate ingredients of different textures to smooth texture

Boil

Cooking in liquid at or above the boiling point

Boning

Removing bones

Bouillabaisse

Fish & shellfish stew

Bouillon

Broth

Bouquet Garni

Herbs tied with string, used to flavor stocks & stew

Braise

Meat, seared in fat, then simmered in liquid in covered vessel

Bran

Outer layer of cereal grain

Brawn

Meat pickled, cooked, then covered with aspic

Brine

Salt, water & seasonings solution to preserve foods

Brioche

Rich yeast dough

Brisket

Beef cut from lower fore quarter, best for long cooking

Broil

Cooking by radiant heat source above the food

Broth

Made by simmering water or stock with meat, vegetables, etc.

Brown

Frying on high heat

Brown stock

Simmering browned bones & meat with vegetables & aromatics

Butterfly

Cut item open by the edges

Buttermilk

Liquid by-product of butter churning

Canapé

Small piece of bread or toast, garnished with spread or topping

Capers

Bud of Mediterranean shrub

Capon

Castrated male chicken

Capsicum

Pepper

Carmelization

Browning sugar

Carorenoid

Red or yellow pigment as found in carrots

Casing

Membrane to enclose sausage forcemeat

Casserole

Lidded cooking vessel used in oven

Cassoulet

Stew of baked beans, meat & seasonings

Cepes

Edible wild mushrooms

Cephalopod

Squid & octopus

Chasseur

Hunter's style

Chef's knife

For chopping, slicing & mincing

Chemical Lavender

Produces carbon dioxide gas to leaven baked goods

Chiffonade

Leafy vegetables or herbs cut into fine shreds

Chinoise

Conical sieve used for straining & pureeing

Choron

Sauce béarnaise finished with tomato puree

Chowder

Thick soup containing potatoes & other ingredients

Cioppino

Fish stew usually made with white wine & tomatoes

Clarification

Removing solid impurities from a liquid

Coagulation

Clumping of protein by heat or acid

Coarse chop

Pieces of same size where appearance is not important

Cocoa

Ground pods of cacao tree

Coddled

Cooked in simmering water

Collard

Meat or fish tied into a roll

Compote

Fruit-fresh or dried, cooked in syrup with spices or liqueur

Concasse

Chop coarsely

Condiment

Aromatic mixtures, accompanying food

Conduction

Heat transmitted to food through pot or pan

Confit

Meat, goose, duck or pork cooked & preserved in its own fat

Consumme

Clarified broth

Convection

Heat transmitted through circulation of air or water

Coral

Lobster roe

Corned Beef

Beef brisket preserved with salt & spices

Cornichon

Small, sour, cucumber

Cornstarch

Fine powdered milled from dried corn, used as thickener

Coulis

Puree of vegetables or fruit

Court Bouillon

Broth used for poaching fish

Couscous

Pellets of semolina usually cooked by steaming

Crème Anglaise

Custard

Crème Brulee

Custard with caramelized topping

Crème Fraiche

Cultured cream, but not sour

Crepe

Thin pancake

Croissant

Crescent shaped yeast dough with a butter roll-in

Croute

Encased in bread or pastry

Crouton

Small pieces of bread toasted or sautéed

Crustacean

Hard-shelled arthropods, i.e., lobster, crap, shrimp

Curd

Semi-solid part of milk produced by souring

Curdle

Separating through over-heating or adding acid

Cure

Preserving food by salting, smoking, drying or pickling

Custard

Milk, beaten egg, & possibly other ingredients

Cut in

To work shortening into flour

Dariole

Small cup-shaped mold

Dash

Less than 1/8 teaspoon

Daube

Meat stew in red wine

Deep fry

Immersion in hot fat

Deglaze

Dissolving pan juices with liquid

Degrease

Skim fat off the surface of stock, sauce, etc.

Demi-glace

Equal brown stock & brown sauce reduced by ½

Deviled

Meat, poultry, seasoned with mustard, vinegar, etc.; coated with bread crumbs and grilled

Dice

Cubes; ¼" small, 1/3" medium, ¾" large

Direct heat

Grilling, broiling etc.

Dock

Cut top of dough before baking it to allow expansion

Drawn

Sealed & gutted fish with head, fins & tail intact

Dredge

Coat food with dry ingredients, i.e., flour or bread crumbs

Dressed

Prepared for cooking

Dry cure

Combination of salts & spices used before smoking

Dumpling

Small soft dough or batter items filled or plain

Dutch Oven

Thick kettle for stewing & braising

Duxelle

Finely chopped mushrooms & shallots sautéed in butter

Egg wash

Beaten eggs & liquid to coat baked goods to give sheen

Emincer

Cutting into thin slices

Escalope

Boneless piece of meat or fish of uniform thickness, fried

Essence

Concentrated flavoring

Etouffe

Similar to braising

Farci

Stuffed

Farina

Fine meal of wheat

Fatback

Fat from back of pig

Fermentation

Carbohydrates into carbon dioxide gas & alcohol

File

Thickener made from ground, sassafras leaves

Fillet

Boneless cut of meat, fish or poultry

Fish Poacher

A long narrow pot for poaching whole fish

Flake

Separating cooked fish into small slivers

Flat fish

Fat body & both eyes on one side of head, i.e., sole & halibut

Florentine

Made with spinach

Flute

Pressing decorative pattern into pastry

Foie Gras

Fat liver

Fold

Combining mixture without causing loss of air

Fool

Sieved fruit pump mixed with whipped cream

Fondant

Icing made with sugar water & glucose

Forcemeat

Mixture of chopped or ground meat & other ingredients used for pates & sausages

Fortified wine

Wine with brandy, sherry or port added

Free range

Unconfined livestock

French Fry

Cook in deep fat

French Knife

See chef's knife

Fricassee

Stew of poultry or other white meat with a white sauce

Fritter

Foods coated or mixed into batter & deep fried

Fumet

Concentrated stock from fish, meat or vegetables

Galantine

Boned poultry stuffed, rolled & poached, served cold in aspic

Ganache

Filling of heavy cream, chocolate, &/or other flavorings

Garnish

Edible decorations

Gherkin

Small pickled cucumber

Giblets

Edible poultry organs

Glace

Reduced stock; ice cream; icing

Glacé

Glazed or iced

Glazed

Shiny surface by brushing with sauce, aspic, icing etc.

Gluten

Elastic protein formed with flour is moistened & agitated

Gujonette

Deep fried strips of fish fillet

Gourmand

Greedy eater who delights in luxurious food

Gourmet

Connoisseur who appreciates fine food & wine

Gratine

See au gratin

Griswold

Pot of cast iron, with single short handle

Gumbo

Soup/stew thickened with file or okra

Hard Sauce

Butter, brandy, rum or whiskey which is chilled until hard

Haricot Vert

Beans

Hash

Chopped meat, potatoes &/or vegetables sautéed together

Hollandaise

Vinegar reduction, egg yolks, butter & lemon juice

Hominy

Milled corn

Hors D'Oeuvre

Appetizer

Hulling

Removing stem from berries

Hydroponics

Growing vegetables in nutrient enriched water

Icing

Sweet coating for cakes

Infuse

Steep ingredients in liquid so as to extract flavor

Jardinière

Garnish of diced cooked vegetables

Julienne

Vegetables & other items cut into thin strips

Jus

Juice from meat used as gravy

Jus Lie

Meat juice lightly thickened

Knead

Work dough until smooth, elastic & shiny

Knock back

Pressing out air bubbles in risen dough

Kosher

Prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary laws

Kosher salt

Pure, refined rock salt

Langouste

Crayfish

Larding

Threading strips of fat in lean meat to keep moist while roasting

Lardon

Strip of fat used for larding

Leavender

Ingredient which causes dough to rise, i.e., yeast

Legume

Vegetables with seed pods

Liaison

Egg olks & cream used to thicken

Liqueur

Spirit flavored with fruit, spices, nuts, herbs, etc.

Little Neck

Small hard shell clam

Lox

Salt cured salmon

Lukewarm

95° F.

Lyonnaise

Lyons style, onions, butter white wine & vinegar

Madere

Sauce made of demi-glace flavored with Madeira

Madeira

Portuguese fortified wine

Mandoline

Slicing device

Marbling

Intramuscular fat in meat making meat juicy & tender

Marinade

Tenderize & flavor meat, game or fish prior to cooking

Marzipan

Ground almonds, sugar & egg whites used to decorate

Matelote

Fish stew made with wine or cider

Medallion

Small, round scallop of meat

Meringue

Sweetened egg whites beaten until stiff

Meuniere

Cooking technique for fish

Mie

Soft part of bread

Milanese

In style of Milan, usually with parmesan cheese

Millet

Gluten-less grain

Mirepoix

2 parts onion, 1 part carrot & 1 part celery, used to flavor

Mocha

Coffee & chocolate

Mollusk

Clams, oysters, snails etc.

Monosodium Glutamate

(MSG) Flavor enhancer

Monte Au Beurre

Whisking butter into sauces

Mousse

Beaten egg whites, whipped cream, sweet or savory

Napoleon

Layered puff pastry filled with pastry cream & glazed

Nappe

To coat with sauce

Nature

Ungarnished, plain

Navarin

Stew of lamb & vegetables

Nigoise

Nice style; tomatoes, onions, garlic & black olives

Nouvelle cuisine

"New cooking"

Oeuf

Egg

Offal

Edible internal organs of meat, poultry & game

Oignon Brule

Burnt onion used to enhance color of stock

Oven Spring

Initial rise of yeast dough when placed in hot oven

Paella

Saffron rice, chicken & shellfish

Paillarde

Escalope of meat pounded until thin

Panada

Flour sauce used to bind ingredients

Pan-Broil

Stimulates broiling by using hot pan with little or no fat

Panfry

Cooked in deep fat in skillet

Pan Gravy

Made by de-glazing pan drippings & adding roux

Papillote

Cooked in parchment

Parchment

Heat resistant paper

Parfait

Frozen dessert of whipped crème & fruit puree

Parisienne Scoop

Melon baller

Parmentier

Containing potatoes

Pasta

Made with flour & water may be enriched with eggs & oil

Pasteurization

Sterilizing milk by heat of 140° -180° F.

Pasty

Small pastry pie with filling

Paté

Forcemeat baked in mold

Paté En Croute

Pate baked in pastry crust

Paupiette

Thin slice of meat rolled around stuffing

Pectin

Extracted from fruit & vegetables, used to set jelly & jams

Pesto

Pureed sauce of basil & oil

Piemento

Skinless pepper

Pickle

Preserved in brine or vinegar

Pilaf

Grain sautéed briefly in butter, then simmered in stock or water

Pince

Carmelize by sautéing

Pinch

Amount of spice held between thumb & 1^st finger

Pith

White cellular lining beneath skin of citrus fruits

Plump

Soak dry fruit in warm liquid to soften & return to shape

Poach

Cook gently in simmering liquid

Polenta

Made from corn meal

Port

Fortified dessert wine

Potage

Thick soup

Prawn

Crustacean resembling shrimp

Primal cuts

Initial cut of animal carcass

Proof

Allowing yeast dough to rise

Provencale

Cooking with garlic & tomatoes

Pulse

Edible seed of a legume

Puree

Mashing, straining or chopping food to make smooth

Quahog

Hard shell clam larger than 3" in diameter, for chowder

Quenelle

Oval shaped dumpling filled with chicken, veal, or seafood

Quiche

Open faced pastry made with eggs, bacon, cheese & cream

Raft

Mixture of ingredients used to clarify consommé

Ragout

Stew

Ramekin

Small oven proof dish

Ratatouille

Stew of eggplant, onion, peppers & tomatoes

Reduce

Concentrating liquid by simmering or boiling

Refresh

Plunge into cold water after blanching to stop cooking

Remouillage

Weak stock made from pre-cooked bones

Rennet

Used to coagulate milk

Rice

Pure foods through sieve or ricer

Risotto

Rice sautéed then combined with stock

Rissole

Roll or patty of cooked minced meat

Roasting

Cooking in oven with radiant heat or open flame

Roe

Fish or shellfish eggs

Rmano

In the style of rome

Rondeau

Shallow, wide, straight side pot with 2 loop handles

Roti

Roasted

Rotisserie

Rotating spit for roasting

Roulade

Roll of meat, vegetables, sponge cake, etc.

Round

Cut of beef; includes top & bottom round, eye & top sirloin

Round Fish

Rounded body & eyes on opposite sides of its head

Roux

Mixture of flour & fat (usually butter) used to thicken liquids

Sabayon

Sweetened egg yolks flavored with wine or liqueur

Sachet D'Epices

"Bag of spices"

Salamander

Similar to broiler

Sale

Salted or pickled

Samovar

Metal tea urn heated by charcoal in inter-tube

Saltpeter

Potassium nitrate, used to preserve meat

Sauté

Frying in small amount of fat

Savory

Not sweet, also an herb

Scald

Heating milk or cream to just below the boiling point

Scaling

Divide dough or batter into portions by weight

Scallion

Young onion with underdeveloped bulb

Scallop

Edible mollusk in deep fluted shell

Scaloppini

Small escalope of veal

Schnitzel

Veal slice

Scone

Small round of bannock dough

Score

Cut surface of food at regular intervals allowing even cooking

Scrapple

Boiled mixture of port trimmings, buckwheat & cornmeal

Searing

Browning meat with fierce heat to seal in juices

Sea salt

Salt produced by evaporating sea water; also; gray salt

Semolina

Coarsely milled hard wheat used for pasta & couscous

Shallow-fry

Cook in small amount of melted fat until brown

Shallow poach

Cooked gently in shallow pan of simmering liquid

Shellfish

Univalves, bivalves, cephalopods & crustaceans

Shirred Egg

Cooked with butter (& often cream) in a ramekin

Single-stage Technique

Cooking involving only method

Skim

Remove impurities from surface

Skim Milk

0.5% Milk fat

Slurry

Starch dispersed in cold liquid to prevent lumps when added to hot liquid

Smoking

Preserving & flavoring foods by exposing to smoke

Smoking Point

Temperature where fat breaks when heated

Smother

Cook in covered pan with little liquid over low heat

Sommelier

Wine steward or waiter

Sorbet

Sherbet made with fruit juice or other flavoring

Soufflé

"Puffed", egg whites cause fuffing during cooking

Sousing

Pickling food in brine or vinegar & spice solution

Sous Chef

2^nd in command

Spider

Long handled skimmer used to remove items from hot liquid

Spit Roast

Roast food on large skewer over or in front of heat

Sponge

Thick yeast batter, fermented into spongy consistency then mixed with other ingredients to form dough

Spring-Form Pan

For baking with sides that open to release cake or pie

Squab

Domesticated pigeon that has not yet begun to fly, under 1 lb.

Steaming

Cooking in vapor bah created by boiling water

Steam Jacket Kettle

Double layered walls, where steam circulates

Steel

Tool to hone knife blades

Steep

Soak food in liquid to saturation to remove flavor

Sterilize

Destroy food germs by exposure to heat

Stew

Simmer food slowly in covered pan or casserole

Stir

Mix ingredients with spoon or fork

Stir fry

Very high heat using little fat – food, kept moving constantly

Stock

Simmering ingredients in water until flavors are extracted

Stockpot

Used for making stocks

Stoneground

Meal or flour milled between grindstones

Supreme

Breast fillet & wing of chicken or poultry

Sweat

Cook vegetables in covered pan with little fat, releasing moisture

Sweetbreads

Thymus glands of calf or lamb

Swiss

To pound meat, with flour & seasoning to tenderize

Syllabub

Cold dessert made with wine & thick cream

Table D'Hote

Fixed-price for entire meal, based on entrée

Table salt

Refined, granulated rock salt, some fortified with iodine

Tamis

A sieve

Tart

Pie without top crust

Tartlet

Small single serving tart

Temper

Heat gently & gradually

Tempura

Seafood &/or vegetables coated with light batter & deep fried

Tenderloin

Cut of meat from hind quarter

Terrine

Earthenware pot

Tilting kettle

Large, shallow pot used for braising & stewing

Timbale

Small pail shaped mold, also; food in such mold

Tomalley

Lobster liver (green)

Tourner

Cut vegetables into barrel, olive or football shapes

Trifle

Cream over wine soaked almond biscuits

Tripe

Edible stomach lining of animal, usually cow

Truffles

Expensive, mushroom-like delicacies

Trussing

Tying meat or poultry with string before cooking

Tuber

Fleshy root, stem, of plant, i.e., potatoes

Tunneling

In baking full of holes, caused by over mixing batter

Univalve

Single-shelled mollusk, i.e., abalone, sea urchin

Unleavened

Bread made from dough without rising agent

Variety meat

Any part other than muscle

Veloute

Sauce of white stock (chicken, veal, seafood) also, creamy soup

Venison

Deer meat

Vinaigrette

Mixture of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper & herbs

Vinegar

Acetic acid by fermentation of wine, cider, malt beer

Waffle

Batter cooked on waffle iron

Whip

Is to incorporate air

Whisk

Wire utensil to beat eggs, crème, batter, etc.

Whey

Separated when milk curdles, used in making cheese

White Mirepoix

Excluding carrots, used for pale white sauces

Whole-Wheat Flour

Milled from the whole grain

Wok

Round pan of rolled steel used for nearly all cooking methods

Yam

Tuber that grows in warm climates pale yellow flesh

Yeast

Fungus cells for fermentation, causing dough to rise

Yogurt

Milk cultured with bacteria & sour flavor

Zabaglione

See sabayon

Zest

Thin, brightly colored outer part of citrus rind used as flavoring

Garlic
When shopping for fresh garlic, look for plump, heavy heads. Skip the heads that are lightweight, soft or dried out. Ditto any garlic that has started to sprout. Store garlic in a dry, dark, well-ventilated container--not in the refrigerator.

An easy way to peel cloves is to place them on a chopping board and smack them with the flat side of a large knife blade. The peel then easily slips off. Sprinkle a little salt on the peeled cloves and chop. The salt helps hold the pieces together and keeps them from sticking to the knife. Be sure to subtract that salt from what's called for in the recipe. To peel a lot of garlic at one time, parboil cloves for 3 to 4 minutes, drain, and cool slightly. The skins should slip off easily.

Rhubarb
Although rhubarb botanically is a vegetable, it is most often used as a fruit--and always cooked. Nutritionally, rhubarb is a fair source of vitamin A and potassium. It looks like big, red celery. While color is not a reliable indicator of quality, generally the pinkish-red stalks are younger and more tender than the dark red ones. Look for rhubarb that has crisp, medium-thick stalks, free from spots and dark patches. Plan to buy one pound for every three cups of raw sliced rhubarb, as your recipe requires.

The leaves are toxic if eaten, so be sure to cut them off and discard them if they are still on your rhubarb. Wrap the stalks loosely in plastic wrap, put in the refrigerator crisper and plan to use in one or two days because the quality of rhubarb declines rapidly.

Onions

The fastest way to peel an onion is to cut off both ends, slice the onion in half crosswise, and then peel each half. Small white onions to be cooked whole can be blanched for about 30 seconds in boiling water. Place them in cold water to cool. Then cut off the ends and the skins will slip right off. Small white onions won't "telescope" (the center slip out) if you cut a small cross 1/4 inch deep into each of the stem ends before cooking the onions. If you soak onion rings in cold water for about an hour, they will taste milder in your salad.

Onion Substitute: Out of onions? Use a few teaspoons or so of dried onion-soup mix. It can be a tasty substitute in many dishes.

Healthy Choice Meal Plans

The Types of Fats You Eat Can Affect Heart Health 

There are four kinds of fats: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are the "good" fats, which are mostly derived from oils in plants. Common examples of monounsaturated fats are canola, olive and peanut oils. Sources of polyunsaturated fats include corn and soybean oils as well as many seeds, nuts and their oils.

It is generally accepted that consumption of saturated fat should be kept low, especially for adults. Trans fat (which means trans fatty acids, is the worst kind of fat (see www.bantransfat.com), far worse than saturated fat.

Partial hydrogenation is an industrial process used to make perfectly good oil, such as soybean oil, into perfectly bad oil. The process is used to make an oil more solid; provide longer shelf-life in baked products; provide longer fry-life for cooking oils, and provide a certain kind of texture or "mouth feel." The big problem is that partially hydrogenated oil is laden with lethal trans fat.

It is only the trans fat created by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils that we are concerned about and that should be eliminated completely from your diet.

There is a kind of naturally occurring trans fat found in small amounts in pomegranates, cabbage, peas, or the type found in the meat and milk of cows, sheep and goats, these are not a concern due to their organic nature. Partially hydrogenated oils are commonly found in processed foods like commercial baked products such as cookies, cakes and crackers, and even in bread. They are also used as cooking oils (called "liquid shortening") for frying in restaurants.

Be a fat expert. Fats and oils are important parts of a healthful diet, but the type of fat you choose can make a big difference for the health of your heart.

Losing or Managing Weight Is All about Calories In, Calories Out 

Diet trends often focus on one food or one nutrient, promising it will be the magic bullet for losing weight and keeping it off forever. But when registered dietitians analyze a weight-loss plan, invariably it turns out that the key is reducing your intake of calories.

“There is no panacea for weight control,” says registered dietitian and American Dietetic Association spokesperson Cathy Nonas. “It’s all about the calories you put into your body versus the calories you burn. Eat a balanced diet with mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grains as your base. Accompany this with daily physical activity to help your body burn those calories so you can maintain a healthier weight.”

Nonas adds: “Budget yourself, just like you would your finances. If you overspent in the calorie department one day, try to make up for it in the exercise department the next. Over time, if you save up calories, you are able to have that once-in-a-while splurge and not feel like you’ve blown your calorie budget.”

The American Dietetic Association’s Complete Food and Nutrition Guide provides great calorie-burning activities to do per hour by body weight:

 National Nutrition Month®, created in 1973 and celebrated each March, helps promote healthful eating and provides consumers with practical nutrition guidance.

Apples and Peppers: a winning combination 

Meanwhile, apples are the Centers for Disease Control’s fruit of the month for the 5-A-Day for Better Health program – while peppers are the vegetable of the month.

Make a point of including each of these tasty and nutritious foods in your family’s meals. You can add chopped apples to salads, baked pork chops or rice dishes – and for variety, try different types of apples. Galas, Fuji and Pink Lady are sweet apples that go well in salads.

Red and Green Delicious add color to pasta or lettuce salad. For baking, try Rome or Granny Smith apples, which stay crisp when heated. Peppers vary from the traditional green to sweet red, orange and yellow.

Add pepper strips to pasta and rice dishes. Top salads with them or sauté lightly to top meat or potato dishes. Pepper strips also make great snacks and are tasty in dips.  

Looking to Lower Your Cholesterol?

The Heart Health Benefits of Plant Sterols

Did you know that plants contain a substance that is similar to cholesterol—that fatty substance produced in humans and found in animal foods, like meat and dairy products? Oddly enough, it's the consumption of the plant cousin—plant sterols—that has been increasingly shown to help lower harmful cholesterol levels in humans.

How Can Plant Sterols Lower Cholesterol?

It's because of their molecular similarity to cholesterol that plant sterols can interfere with cholesterol absorption: they "compete" for the intestinal spaces where cholesterol is transferred to the bloodstream. When it's blocked in this way, cholesterol is excreted rather than absorbed.

Specifically, consumption of plant sterols has been shown to lower total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol blood levels, and consequently reduce total cholesterol in relation to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, an important marker of cardiovascular function.

Are there Any Other Health Benefits?

In addition to its cholesterol-lowering effects, there is also emerging evidence that plant sterols may inhibit the oxidation of lipoproteins, a further benefit to overall vascular function. Erectile and prostate function in men has also been shown to be indirectly supported by the action of plant sterols.

How Can I Include Plant Sterols in my Diet?

The National Cholesterol Education Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends the consumption of 2 grams of plant sterols daily to promote healthy cholesterol levels. The Food and Drug Administration also recognizes the cardiovascular benefits of sterols and has approved a health claim for use on food products containing sterols.

Although all plants—including fruits, vegetables, grains, spices, seeds, and nuts—contain these sterol compounds, it's only in very small amounts. The average American diet, for instance, supplies less than 500 mg of plant sterols daily. This has led many to seek out additional dietary sources of plant sterols.

Are Plant Sterols Safe?

Plant sterols are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) food substances due to their history of safe use without any harmful effects. A year-long study of a plant-sterol containing food was shown to have no different adverse effects than those of the control group, and researchers concluded that it was safe for long-term use.

The Complementary Effects of Soy

The Food and Drug Administration has also stated that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. Because of soy's role in lowering the risk of coronary heart disease, as well as its recognized cholesterol-lowering effects, the combination of soy and sterols would seem to have a complementary effect on markers for cardiovascular health.

Are you one of the millions of Americans who is suffering from high cholesterol? Do you want to do everything possible to keep your heart healthy? If so, please schedule an appointment at my office. We can discuss how a well-rounded diet that includes plant sterols can help you lower your cholesterol.