Few dietary changes and your cholesterol will be lower. And less cholesterol in the blood means a lower risk of a heart attack or stroke, better mood and more money – the doctor may stop or reduce the doses of medication.
Even children as young as a few years may have an elevated cholesterol level – emphasizes Iwona Niegowska, nutrition specialist of the “Proactively for the heart” program. – It is a myth that this problem only affects older and obese people. Also, young, slim people may have too high cholesterol, for example because they are genetically burdened.
Tips for people with elevated cholesterol
- Eat lean meats and meats instead of fatty meats, avoid meats made of giblets – ie pate, head cheese, etc. Instead of pork, beef and offal, choose lean types of meat (chicken, turkey, veal). Eat them without skin, a lot of fat accumulates under it.
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- Exclude fats of animal origin: lard, lard, butter and mixtures of butter and margarine. Replace them with vegetable and fish fats. There are plant sterols in oils and olive oil that resemble cholesterol. Therefore, they partially block its absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, thanks to which its concentration in the blood decreases. The most naturally occurring sterols are found in oils, in the following order: corn, sunflower, coconut, soy and olive oil.
- Eat oily sea fish at least twice a week. They are especially recommended: herring, mackerel and salmon (they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids). Cod, flounder, sole, hake and halibut are also good choices.
- Eat reduced-fat dairy products every day, especially yoghurts and kefirs.
- Eat nuts and seeds. Especially almonds, walnuts, also flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame and sunflower seeds.
- Replace greasy yellow cheeses with those containing less than 30 percent. fat.
- Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit – it’s worth trying to make vegetables constitute half of each meal, let fruit be a snack during the day.
- Eat every day products containing dietary fiber, i.e. wholemeal bread, muesli, coarse groats, oatmeal, bran, but also vegetables and fruits. Fiber lowers cholesterol because it binds it in the gut and causes it to be excreted in the faeces. If we eat 15 grams of fiber a day, the “bad” LDL cholesterol can be reduced by 7%.
- Give up confectionery bread (e.g. industrially manufactured cakes and cookies) and bars. They contain hydrogenated vegetable fats and trans fats. The latter increase the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver. You also have to give up food concentrates, e.g. powdered soups.
- Limit salt. The point is not only to use less salt in the dishes, but also to avoid products that can be heavily salted, such as: cold cuts, canned food, potato chips, french fries, and some types of bread.
- Limit your alcohol consumption. Even a single consumption, especially in patients with elevated triglycerides (TG above 500 mg / dl), may cause acute pancreatitis
- Fry less and cook more by stewing and baking.
- Regardless of changes in the diet, it is recommended to increase physical activity up to five times a week for 30 minutes. Before it begins, people with a family history of cardiovascular diseases should do heart examinations, such as ultrasound, exercise ECG.
- After three months of changes in nutrition, the lipid profile should be re-examined. In the event of improvement, i.e. bringing the level of these parameters to the recommended values, the diet should be maintained. If there is no improvement, it is imperative to consult a dietitian, and if there is no change, treatment must be initiated.
Check your cholesterol level. Make a lipid profile
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