High cholesterol diet
We have compiled a weekly menu for those who suffer from high cholesterol. Together with the general practitioner, nutritionist Nadezhda Ivanova, we discussed what you can and cannot eat with high cholesterol, what results can be achieved during the diet and for whom it is suitable

Cholesterol is an organic substance that is produced independently by our body and comes with food. Cholesterol is involved in the formation of enzymes and hormones. However, its elevated blood levels can cause serious damage to health. 

Atherosclerosis and its possible consequences in the form of a heart attack, stroke are the result of an imbalance of high density lipoproteins (HDL) and low density lipoproteins (LDL). 

HDL is commonly referred to as “good” cholesterol. It is produced by our body during moderate exercise and helps to reduce the accumulation of “bad” cholesterol (LDL), which enters the body exclusively with food.

In order to bring cholesterol levels back to normal, a special therapeutic diet was developed. The advantages are that it can be used not only as a tool for treating an existing problem, but also for preventive purposes. At the same time, you get a full-fledged varied daily diet.1.

For medicinal purposes, a diet for high cholesterol can only be prescribed by a gastroenterologist or nutritionist. Also, products are individually worked out, which should be excluded, taking into account the characteristics of the health of each individual person.

What can be on a diet with high cholesterol

Since the main goal of the diet is to normalize lipid metabolism and reduce weight, the main principle of nutrition is to reduce the diet of foods containing animal fats and simple carbohydrates.2.

Preference should be given to polyunsaturated fats, fiber, protein and complex carbohydrates.

All this can be obtained from a large list of allowed products:

  • meat (veal, chicken, turkey, rabbit);
  • fish and eggs;
  • vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, all kinds of cabbage, beets, pumpkin, celery, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, onions, leafy greens);
  • legumes of all kinds, including soybeans;
  • fruits, berries (avocado, pomegranate, citrus fruits, pears, apples);
  • cereals (buckwheat, millet, quinoa);
  • fermented milk products (hard cheeses no more than 30 grams, low-fat cottage cheese, tofu);
  • nuts and seeds (flax seeds, fenugreek seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds);
  • vegetable oils.

What Not to Do on a High Cholesterol Diet

In modern medical practice, it is increasingly possible to meet specialists who have a negative attitude towards strict food prohibitions. Many strive to create an individual, complete and varied diet.

However, a list of prohibited foods exists and includes:

  • meat (pork, goose, duck, offal);
  • fatty fish, canned fish;
  • cereals and pasta (semolina, white rice);
  • concentrated meat broths;
  • baking rich, puff;
  • confectionery (industrial cakes, sweets, jams);
  • fermented milk products (fatty varieties of cheese and cottage cheese, cream, sour cream and fatty ice cream, butter);
  • refined vegetable oils and margarine;
  • fruits and dried fruits (bananas, raisins);
  • honey;
  • sweet carbonated drinks, lemonades;
  • industrial mayonnaise, ketchup and palm oil products.

Beef, red fish, potatoes, nuts and egg yolks are allowed, but in limited quantities3.

Menu for a week for a diet with high cholesterol with recipes

Day №1

Breakfast: protein omelette, fresh vegetable salad, green tea with lemon;

Lunch: lentil cream soup with pumpkin, buckwheat bread with cottage cheese, herbs and fresh cucumber;

Dinner: steamed fish cakes, baked mix of vegetables with olive oil.

Recipe for Lentil Pumpkin Soup:

  • Lentils – 300 gr.;
  • Pumpkin – 200 gr.;
  • Carrots – 2 pc.;
  • Onions – 1 pc.;
  • Garlic – 2 cloves;
  • Salt, spices – to taste;
  • Chopped greens – for serving;
  • Lemon – for serving;
  • Olive oil for serving.

Cooking:

  1. Clean the vegetables, chop and prepare the broth.
  2. Add the washed lentils to the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
  3. Add salt and spices as desired.
  4. When the lentils and vegetables are fully cooked, remove the pot from the heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender.
  5. Serve the soup with a lemon wedge and a couple of drops of olive oil.

Day №2

Breakfast: oatmeal on the water with berries, toast with avocado and cheese;

Lunch: chicken broth, boiled chicken breast, sauerkraut with linseed oil and herbs;

Dinner: zander fillet baked in foil, salad with broccoli, green beans and fresh cucumber with sesame oil dressing.

Day №3

Breakfast: chickpea omelet with mushrooms and fresh tomatoes, chicory with vegetable milk;

Lunch: baked turkey fillet, vegetable stew, bread;

Dinner: zucchini waffles with sesame paste and pomegranate seeds, salad with leafy greens, beans and sweet peppers dressed with olive oil.

Chickpea Omelet Recipe:

  • Chickpea flour – 100 gr.;
  • Water or vegetable milk – 150 ml;
  • Onion – half;
  • Fresh tomato – 1 pc.;
  • Fresh mushrooms – 100 gr.;
  • Salt, spices to taste.

Cooking:

  1. Lightly fry the onion until golden.
  2. Combine chopped tomatoes and mushrooms with onions and simmer them for 5-7 minutes over medium heat.
  3. Combine chickpea flour, water and spices. Beat with a whisk until smooth.
  4. Pour the chickpea mixture over the vegetables and simmer with the lid closed for about 10 minutes. Can be baked in a preheated oven.

Day 4

Breakfast: homemade granola with low-fat natural yogurt, cheese toast, green tea;

Lunch: borscht with light meat broth, fresh cabbage and carrot salad;

Dinner: steamed chicken cutlets with baked sweet potatoes, carrots and green beans.

Day №5

Breakfast: carrot-apple pancakes, almond yogurt, herbal tea;

Lunch: pollock stewed with vegetables and tomato juice, fresh herbs, bread;

Dinner: salad with seafood and fresh vegetables, a glass of vegetable juice.

Recipe for carrot and apple fritters:

  • Carrots – 2 pc.;
  • Apple – 1 pcs.;
  • Egg – 1 pc.;
  • Spelled flour – 2 tablespoons;
  • Vanilla, cinnamon – to taste.

Cooking:

  1. Peel and grate the carrots on a fine grater, also grate the apple on a fine grater.
  2. Add the egg.
  3. Add flour and seasonings as desired. Knead the dough.
  4. Bake pancakes without oil over medium heat under the lid on both sides.

Day №6

Breakfast: flaxseed porridge with berries, coffee with milk, boiled egg;

Lunch: vegetable soup with beans, baked pike cutlets, fresh cucumber;

Dinner: diet turkey sausages, boiled Brussels sprouts, fresh tomato.

Day №7

Breakfast: baked apples with tofu, cocoa with vegetable milk; Lunch: fish soup, salad with radish, fresh cabbage and cucumber; Dinner: chicken breast baked with cauliflower, carrots and broccoli, frozen berry tea with mint.

Recipe for baked apples with tofu:

  • Apple – 5 pieces;
  • Tofu – 100 g.;
  • Kuraga – 4/5 pcs.;
  • Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon;
  • Vanillin – optional.

Cooking:

  1. Wash the apples, cut off the top, remove the core.
  2. Soak dried apricots in hot water for about 15 minutes.
  3. Mash the tofu with a fork, add lemon juice and vanilla.
  4. Chop the dried apricots and add to the tofu.
  5. Fill the apples with the stuffing and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Results of the diet

By adhering to the rules of nutrition, jointly prescribed with the attending physician (gastroenterologist, nutritionist), you can achieve good results.

A month later, you can notice the following changes in your body:

  • decreased body weight;
  • normalization of cholesterol in the blood;
  • normalization of blood pressure;
  • getting rid of heartburn;
  • getting rid of constipation

By following simple nutritional principles, you can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and improve the quality of life in general.

The rules of nutrition for high cholesterol are simple, understandable, as are the products from which you can make a varied weekly menu without feeling deprived of something.

Dietitian Reviews

Cholesterol is necessary for all cells of the body, but it is important not to allow it to be excessive. With the help of nutritional correction, we can significantly improve the prognosis of patients with cardiovascular diseases and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Cholesterol itself is not an enemy and does not lead to the development of atherosclerosis, for this there must be two more factors: inflammation and damage to the vascular endothelium.

“With this nutrition, you can easily lose weight and minimize chronic inflammation in the body,” says specialist in integrative and preventive medicine, therapist, nutritionist Nadezhda Ivanova.

  1. Rudchenko IV, Tyrenko VV, Kachnov VA Nutrition is one of the important factors in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases caused by atherosclerosis // KVTiP. 2020. №3. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/pitanie-odin-iz-vazhnyh-faktorov-profilaktiki-i-lecheniya-serdechno-sosudistyh-zabolevaniy-obuslovlennyh-aterosklerozom
  2. Chulkov V. S., Sineglazova A. V., Konashov V. A., Sedova A. D., Fink A. E. Current view on primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (review of modern recommendations) // Bulletin of Modern Clinical Medicine. 2021. №6. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/aktualnyy-vzglyad-na-pervichnuyu-profilaktiku-serdechno-sosudistyh-zabolevaniy-obzor-sovremennyh-rekomendatsiy
  3. Smetneva N. S., Pogozheva A. V., Vasiliev Yu. L., Dydykin S. S., Dydykina I. S., Kovalenko A. A. The role of optimal nutrition in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. 2020. №3. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/rol-optimalnogo-pitaniya-v-profilaktike-serdechno-sosudistyh-zabolevaniy

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