Cholesterol is one of the beneficial substances that are involved in metabolism. Cholesterol enters the body from animal products.
Cholesterol is a lipophilic alcohol that plays a role 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 to atherosclerosis.
Cholesterol is transported throughout the body with the bloodstream by carriers: high 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 reducing their level. However, a decrease in high-density lipoproteins increases the risk of heart disease.
The norm of cholesterol in the blood in healthy people is 5 mol / l and below. Cholesterol intake by healthy people should be no more than 300 mg per day, and with an increased content of cholesterol in the blood (hypercholesterolemia) no more than 200 mg per day.
General description of the diet
The purpose of the diet for high cholesterol is to reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol, prevent the development of pathology of the cardiovascular system, normalize the functioning of the kidneys and liver, activate metabolic processes and improve blood circulation.
The diet should meet the principle of mechanical sparing, 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 table for high cholesterol includes the restriction of salt and fats (mainly of animal origin).
Table characteristics (per day):
- 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
Food fractional, 5 times a day. This allows you to reduce portions of food and suppresses hunger in between meals.
Temperature
The food temperature is normal, there are no restrictions.
Salt
The amount of table salt is limited to 3 - 5 gr. , Food is prepared unsalted, 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 (unloading the cardiovascular and urinary systems).
Alcohol
Alcohol should be avoided, especially hard liquor. But doctors recommend (in the absence of contraindications) to take 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 high 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 the antioxidant action, and potassium and magnesium are involved in the heart rhythm.
Fats
Wherever 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).
Foods forbidden for high cholesterol
The list of prohibited foods for high cholesterol primarily includes animal fats - they are the source of "bad" cholesterol.
You should also refuse carbohydrates, which are easily digested, turning into fats, and, as a result, into cholesterol.
You should not eat foods that activate and excite the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
Food should be steamed, boiled or baked. Frying products is excluded, since low-density lipoproteins and carcinogens are formed during the frying process. Almost all vegetables are consumed cooked, as raw fiber in large quantities causes flatulence.
List of prohibited products:
- rich fresh bread, products made from yeast and puff pastry, pancakes, fried pies, pancakes, pasta from soft wheat varieties (contain easily digestible carbohydrates);
- whole milk of high fat content, fatty cottage cheese, sour cream, cheeses;
- fried and boiled eggs (especially the yolk - a source of saturated fat);
- soups on a concentrated and fatty broth of fish and meat, mushroom broths;
- fatty meats (lamb, pork), poultry (duck, goose), chicken skin, especially fried, sausages, sausages;
- fatty fish, caviar, salted fish, canned food, fried fish with margarine and solid fats;
- solid fats (lard, margarine, cooking oil);
- squid, shrimp;
- natural coffee brewed from beans (when brewing, 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
Recommended foods 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 a lot of antioxidants (vitamin E) in nuts.
A diet with a high cholesterol level is designed to normalize the ratio of high-grade lipoproteins (increasing) and low-grade lipoproteins (downward).
List of allowed products:
- dried or yesterday's bread, from wholemeal flour, bread with bran, 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 (removes toxins), lettuce (a source of folic acid), pumpkin, zucchini, beets;
- lean meats and poultry (rabbit, turkey and skinless chicken, veal, lean beef);
- seafood: scallop, oysters, mussels and crabs limited;
- fish, especially sea, low-fat varieties (baked and boiled): tuna, haddock, flounder, pollock, cod, hake;
- legumes as a source of vegetable protein;
- nuts (walnuts, peanuts) contain a large amount of phospholipids that reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol, are sources of vitamin E;
- onions and garlic, contain a lot of vitamin C, 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 unsalted cheeses;
- juices, especially from citrus fruits (a lot of ascorbic acid, which strengthens the vascular wall);
- weakly brewed tea, coffee drink with milk, decoctions of vegetables, rose hips, compotes;
- seasonings: pepper, mustard, spices, vinegar, lemon, horseradish.
The need for a diet
Compliance with the diet regulates the content of high and low density lipoproteins, thereby reducing the level of "bad" cholesterol.
The treatment table for high cholesterol allows you to normalize its content without taking medications. 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 the skin, nails and hair.
A large amount of antioxidants in recommended foods with high cholesterol slows down skin aging, prevents the development of pathologies of internal organs, and 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, which narrow 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 cerebral 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 disturbance, dizziness).