Nutrition is the basis of health. What we eat often affects how we feel. And both positive and negative. Doctors believe that it is imperative to monitor the level of cholesterol in the blood and if it rises, take action and change eating habits. What is the optimal diet for high cholesterol, we learned from doctors.
- What is the essence of the diet?
- Basic principles
- Diet rules
- Doctor’s comment
What is the essence of a diet for high cholesterol?
Cholesterol molecule
A low-cholesterol diet is a diet that excludes foods that increase the level of “harmful” cholesterol in the blood. This organic compound plays a very important role in the functioning of the body. Cholesterol is involved in the production of vitamin D and hormones. It is divided into two types:
- “bad” is low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)
- “good” is high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C
If “bad” cholesterol, when in excess, leads to the formation of atherosclerosis, then “good” cholesterol, on the contrary, helps fight incoming fats. We get both from food. Therefore, it depends only on us which cholesterol will prevail (1).
Basic principles of the hypocholesterol diet
A cholesterol-lowering diet completely excludes foods that contain so-called dietary cholesterol agents, that is, elements that increase the level of this compound:
- saturated fats (butter, lard, fatty meat);
- trans fatty acids (fast food, confectionery);
- dietary cholesterol (eggs, offal).
Often prescribed for diseases of the cardiovascular system Table No. 10. But specifically in the case of high cholesterol, this diet is not suitable, since it also contains eggs and other dietary cholesterol agents.
According to doctors, this and other treatment tables of nutritionist Pevzner do not comply with modern recommendations – they are being replaced with an individual selection of dishes, taking into account the characteristics of a particular patient.
The optimal approach is to create your own treatment table, which will contain a minimum of products that are harmful to you specifically.
Diet rules for high blood cholesterol
Mediterranean diet It’s not for nothing that doctors recognize it as one of the most useful. It contains almost no harmful products: it contains little butter and fatty meat. But there are a lot of healthy vegetables and “slow” carbohydrates.
The DASH diet is essentially the same Mediterranean diet, but without specific spices. It recommends limiting your salt intake, watching your fats and eating at least five servings of raw vegetables and fruits a day.
What can you eat if you have high cholesterol?
Top healthy foods that will help normalize cholesterol metabolism:
- fresh vegetables and fruits;
- cereals;
- fish;
- low-fat dairy products.
What not to eat if you have high cholesterol
If you want to lower your cholesterol levels or at least not increase them, you will have to give up:
- butter;
- pork;
- seafood;
- veal;
- processed foods that may contain trans fats.
Low-cholesterol diet: doctor’s review
