Cholesterol is one of the beneficial substances involved in metabolism. Cholesterol enters the body through animal products.
Cholesterol is a lipophilic alcohol that is involved in the formation of cell membranes, in the synthesis of certain hormones and vitamins, and in other metabolic processes.
Cholesterol is necessary for the body, but its high content can lead to diseases of the cardiovascular system, in particular atherosclerosis.
Cholesterol is transported throughout the body with the bloodstream by carriers: high-density and low-density lipoproteins. Low-density lipoproteins are called "bad" cholesterol, and when they increase in the blood, the risk of cardiovascular pathology increases significantly. Therefore, doctors strongly recommend lowering its level. However, a decrease in high-density lipoprotein increases the risk of heart disease.
The norm of cholesterol in the blood in healthy people is 5 mol / l and less. Cholesterol intake in healthy people should not be more than 300 mg per day, and with increased cholesterol content in the blood (hypercholesterolemia) - not more than 200 mg per day.
General description of the diet.
The goal of the diet for high cholesterol is to reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol, prevent the development of pathologies of the cardiovascular system, normalize the functioning of the kidneys and liver, activate metabolic processes and improve blood circulation.
The diet must comply with the principle of mechanical economy, which has a beneficial effect not only on the digestive system, but also on the cardiovascular system.
The diet for high cholesterol corresponds to the treatment table No. 10 and No. 10C.
The treatment chart for high cholesterol includes the restriction of salt and fats (mainly of animal origin).
Table features (per day):
- the energy value is 2190 - 2570 kcal;
- proteins - 90 gr. , of which 55 - 60% of animal origin;
- fats 70 - 80 gr. , of which at least 30 gr. vegetable;
- carbohydrates no more than 300 gr. for overweight people, and for people with normal body weight 350 gr.
Diet Basics
Diet
Fractional food, 5 times a day. This allows you to reduce food portions and suppress hunger between meals.
Temperature
The temperature of the food is normal, there are no restrictions.
Salt
The amount of table salt is limited to 3 - 5 gr. The food is prepared without salt, if necessary, salted at the table. Salt causes fluid retention in the body, which increases the load on the cardiovascular system.
Liquid
The use of free fluid up to 1. 5 liters (discharge from the cardiovascular and urinary systems).
Alcohol
Alcohol, especially hard liquor, should be avoided. But doctors recommend (in the absence of contraindications) to drink 50-70 ml of natural red wine at night, which contains flavonoids with antioxidant properties (thus dry red wine protects the walls of blood vessels from the formation of atherosclerotic plaques). In addition, a strict smoking ban is imposed.
Weight
Obese and overweight people need to normalize their weight. Excess fat in the body is an additional source of "bad" cholesterol, and also complicates the work of the heart and blood vessels.
Foods rich in lipotropic substances and vitamins
Preference should be given to fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins C and P, group B, potassium and magnesium salts. These vitamins protect the vascular walls due to their antioxidant action, and potassium and magnesium are involved in heart rhythm.
fats
Whenever possible, vegetable fats should be replaced as much as possible. Vegetable fats do not contain cholesterol, in addition, they are useful for the walls of blood vessels with a high content of vitamin E (antioxidant).
Forbidden foods for high cholesterol
The list of prohibited foods for high cholesterol includes mainly animal fats - they are the source of "bad" cholesterol.
You should also refuse carbohydrates, which are easily digested, turn into fats and, as a result, cholesterol.
You should not eat foods that activate and excite the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
Food should be steamed, boiled, or baked. Frying products are excluded, as low-density lipoproteins and carcinogens are formed during the frying process. Almost all vegetables are consumed cooked, since crude fiber in large quantities causes flatulence.
List of prohibited products:
- rich fresh bread, products made from yeast and puff pastry, pancakes, fried cakes, pancakes, pasta from soft wheat varieties (they contain easily digestible carbohydrates);
- high-fat whole milk, fatty cottage cheese, sour cream, cheeses;
- fried and boiled eggs (especially the yolk, a source of saturated fat);
- soups on a concentrated and fatty fish and meat broth, mushroom broths;
- fatty meats (lamb, pork), poultry (duck, goose), chicken skin, especially fried, sausages, sausages;
- fatty fish, caviar, salted fish, preserves, fried fish with margarine and solid fats;
- solid fats (lard, margarine, cooking oil);
- squid, shrimp;
- natural coffee made from beans (when it is prepared, the fats come out of the beans);
- vegetables, especially fried in solid fats (chips, French fries, fried in soup), coconuts, and salted nuts;
- mayonnaise, sour cream and cream sauces;
- confectionery creams, chocolate, cocoa, cakes, ice cream.
approved products
The foods recommended in a diet for high cholesterol should contain a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, which are sources of "good" cholesterol.
First of all, this applies to fish, which includes omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids. Fish is also a source of vitamin D.
A large amount of soluble fiber (oatmeal) increases the level of high-density lipoproteins. Fresh vegetables and fruits contain large amounts of antioxidants that strengthen the vascular walls. There are also many antioxidants (vitamin E) in nuts.
A high-cholesterol diet is designed to normalize the ratio of high-grade lipoproteins (increasing) and low-grade lipoproteins (decreasing).
List of allowed products:
- dry or yesterday's bread, wholemeal flour, bran bread, durum wheat pasta;
- vegetable oils in any quantity, with the exception of palm oil (fill salads with unrefined vegetable oil);
- vegetables: potatoes, cauliflower and white cabbage, carrots (eliminates toxins), lettuce (source of folic acid), pumpkin, zucchini, beets;
- lean meats and poultry (rabbit, turkey and skinless chicken, veal, lean beef);
- Seafood: limited scallops, oysters, mussels and crabs;
- fish, especially sea, low-fat varieties (baked and boiled): tuna, haddock, sole, pollock, cod, hake;
- legumes as a source of vegetable protein;
- nuts (walnuts, peanuts) contain a large number of phospholipids that reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol, are sources of vitamin E;
- onions and garlic contain a lot of vitamin C, they protect the vascular walls, remove lime deposits and fat from the body;
- oatmeal, cereals, puddings from other cereals (cereals must be cooked in diluted milk);
- low-fat milk, low-fat cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir, yogurt, low-fat and salt-free cheeses;
- juices, especially citrus fruits (a lot of ascorbic acid, which strengthens the vascular wall);
- weakly brewed tea, coffee drink with milk, vegetable decoctions, rose hips, compotes;
- condiments: pepper, mustard, spices, vinegar, lemon, horseradish.
The need for a diet.
Compliance with the diet regulates the content of high- and low-density lipoproteins, which reduces the level of "bad" cholesterol.
The treatment table for high cholesterol allows you to normalize its content without taking medication. In addition, in people who follow a diet, the vessels remain "clean" for a long time, blood circulation in them is not disturbed, which not only has a beneficial effect on the state of the cardiovascular system, but also on the condition of skin, nails and hair.
A large amount of antioxidants in recommended foods with high cholesterol delays skin aging, prevents the development of pathologies of internal organs, increases vitality.
Consequences of not following the diet
High cholesterol in the blood is the first bell of the upcoming atherosclerosis of the vessels.
With atherosclerosis, plaques form on the walls of blood vessels, narrowing the lumen of the arteries of the veins, which threatens not only the development of circulatory disorders in the body as a whole, but also such dangerous complications as accident stroke and myocardial infarction. .
Also, high cholesterol is one of the factors in the development of hypertension and cerebral atherosclerosis (memory impairment, visual impairment, tinnitus, sleep disorders, dizziness).