Dietary nutrition with increased. What exactly can you eat with high cholesterol

landscaping 03.07.2020
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The human body produces such an amount of cholesterol, which is sufficient for the normal functioning of all systems and organs. But with an improperly organized nutrition system, the substance in question in the blood is in excess. A special diet for high cholesterol will help to cope with this problem and protect your body from dangerous consequences.

An excess amount of this substance enters the walls of blood vessels and begins to actively accumulate on them. Over time, such deposits turn into a dense “plaque”, which does not allow blood to circulate normally. This is a very dangerous phenomenon that can lead to tissue death of an important organ and, accordingly, to a stroke or heart attack.

In the body of a young woman, a sufficient amount of hormones is produced that can control healthy cholesterol levels. This is especially true for the period of pregnancy and lactation. With age, the hormonal background of the fair sex can be disturbed. The situation worsens during menopause. To avoid a heart attack and / or stroke, you need to adhere to a special nutrition system.

Features and rules of the hypocholesterol diet

The main feature of the discussed diet is a decrease in the daily diet of high-fat foods (and in some cases their complete exclusion is required). To correctly compose your menu, you need to study the tables of cholesterol content in different dishes. For example, in 100 g of smoked sausage - this is immediately 100 mg of a dangerous substance, and in 100 g of mayonnaise - all 480 mg. The leader in cholesterol content was also egg yolk - 300 mg of the substance per 100 g of the product.

With a hypocholesterol diet, you will need to follow other rules:

  1. Meat products should be consumed in an amount of no more than 100-120 g per day.
  2. Avoid frying any food with oil. This method of heat treatment of products is replaced by boiling, baking, stewing, steaming.
  3. Every day you will need to consume large quantities of fruits, berries, raw vegetables, cereals, fresh herbs.
  4. It is advisable to include pectin in the menu. This unique substance "knows how" to bind bad cholesterol. It is found in citrus fruits, carrots, pumpkins, watermelons.

Tables: allowed and prohibited products

A special table of foods that are allowed and prohibited for a low cholesterol diet will help in compiling the right menu.

Approved ProductsProhibited Products
Vegetable oils (linseed, cedar, grape)Butter
Red fish of salmon breeds and any other marine, rabbit meat, skinless poultryFatty meat, fish, shrimp, red caviar
All legumes (including soy and soy protein)Fast food, chips, croutons
Any raw vegetables, fruits, berries
(fresh or frozen)
Semi-finished products (including sausages, sausages, bacon)
Egg whiteEgg yolk
HoneyCakes, chocolates
Tea, herbal decoctions, compotes from fruits, berries and dried fruits without sugarAlcoholic drinks (especially beer), coffee
Low fat dairy productsProcessed and cream cheeses
Porridges from various cerealsMuffin, cupcakes, ice cream
Ketchup, mustard, horseradishTrans fats, lard

Nuts, seeds - in moderation.

Diet for high cholesterol in women over 50

The nutrition system for patients over 50 years of age has its own characteristics. First of all, they concern dinner. This meal must take place no later than 19 hours. In order to feel good, in addition to the diet, a woman should have a lot of rest, so it is advisable to go to bed about 3 hours after dinner and not stay up late.

In addition to water, it is also allowed to drink vegetable and fruit juices, green and / or herbal tea, low-fat kefir and yogurt, fresh or dried fruit compote between meals.

All salads are allowed to fill exclusively with oil. Suitable not only sunflower and olive, but also linseed, grape, sesame and others. They can also be used for skin care at the same time.

For women over 50, the discussed diet must be combined with light physical activity. You can choose any sport. The main thing is that it does not give a strong load on the heart.

How much water to drink while on a diet?

The recommended amount of fluid per day will depend on the individual characteristics of the body. If there are no obvious problems with the urinary system, you can drink up to 2 liters per day. It should be pure non-carbonated water.

Patients with hypertension and kidney disease should reduce this figure to 1.5 liters per day. In both cases, the amount of salt consumed decreases, which retains excess fluid in the body. You need to know that many semi-finished and finished products, including bread, contain a lot of salt.

Menu option for the week

In general, the diet for the discussed diet can be made independently. The main thing is to strictly adhere to the table of allowed and prohibited products. To make your task easier, you should take as a basis the menu option compiled by an experienced nutritionist. It is designed for 7 days.

On Monday, breakfast will be an omelet (exclusively from egg whites) and freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juice. For lunch, you can eat any vegetable soup, veal soufflé, stewed zucchini. For dinner - a casserole of boiled fish. Snacks are made up of vegetable salads seasoned with vegetable oil, bread and rosehip broth.

On Tuesday, buckwheat without milk and butter is used for breakfast. For lunch - cereal soup with tomato juice, veal cutlet and vegetable stew. For dinner - baked potatoes with boiled chicken breast, fresh cucumber. Snacks: baked apples, low-fat kefir.

On Wednesday morning, you can eat oatmeal with fresh or frozen berries. For lunch - vegetable soup, buckwheat with stewed fish. For dinner - stewed eggplant and veal meatballs. Snacks: nuts, low-fat cottage cheese with a banana.

On Thursday, oatmeal with milk (with a minimum fat content) is prepared for breakfast. For lunch - pumpkin soup with millet, chicken breast baked in foil. For dinner - steamed cheesecakes. Snacks: natural yogurt without sugar and other additives, rye and rice bread.

On Friday, you can start the morning with cottage cheese whipped casserole (from low-fat cottage cheese). For lunch, eat fish soup with pearl barley and stewed vegetables. For dinner - buckwheat with a steam cutlet of poultry. Snacks: fruit salad, nuts.

On Saturday, for breakfast, a pumpkin salad with carrots and apples, chicken meatballs are prepared. For lunch - lentil soup and stewed sea fish. For dinner - boiled rice with veal soufflé. Snacks: steam cheesecakes, rye or rice bread.

Sunday starts with rice porridge with freshly made fruit jam. Lunch includes vegetable soup and steamed fish cakes. For dinner - a large portion of vegetable salad with herbs, boiled poultry fillet. Snacks: banana, unsweetened yogurt.

Recipes for simple and delicious dishes

Vegetable soup with fresh garlic

Ingredients: half a kilo of tomatoes, fresh cucumber, sweet red or yellow pepper, a couple of garlic cloves, a bunch of herbs, salt, spices, a little olive oil, a slice of dried rye bread.

  1. Tomatoes get rid of the skin and shifted to a deep plate. Largely cut cucumber without skin, garlic, pepper without seeds.
  2. A piece of bread is soaked in warm water.
  3. All prepared components are turned into a puree with a blender. It remains to add salt, spices, oil and chopped herbs to them.

If desired, this soup can be slightly warmed up or served cold.

Turkey steak

Ingredients: 170 g poultry fillet, a little freshly squeezed lemon juice, aromatic herbs.

  1. Turkey fillet is smeared with lemon juice, and then with spices. In this form, it is left for pickling.
  2. On the grill, the meat is fried until tender.

Foreword from the author of the site. 80% of cholesterol is formed in the body (needed for the synthesis of steroid and sex hormones, vitamin D, membrane stability) and only 20% comes from food Therefore, even a strict diet can only lower cholesterol by 10%. In diseases of the heart and blood vessels, the level of total cholesterol should not exceed 4.5 mmol/l. If the diet does not help, lifelong medication is usually needed, primarily from the group of statins (the best drug available today is rosuvastatin).

A cholesterol-lowering diet is the first mandatory step in the treatment of atherosclerosis. At the same time, fat intake cut by about one third. According to American scientists, compliance diet alone can reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol by only 5-10 percent, while in order to stop the progress of the disease, this decrease should reach at least 25 percent. Therefore, in the leading clinics in Europe and the USA, in the treatment of coronary heart disease, the diet is prescribed simultaneously with drugs from the statin class. Head of the infarction department No. 2 of the 10th city clinical hospital in Minsk, cardiologist of the highest category Natalya Polevkova tells what to consider in nutrition when it comes to lowering cholesterol levels in the blood.

Saturated fats(mostly of animal origin) increase blood cholesterol, while unsaturated(plant origin) contribute to its reduction. monounsaturated fats ( fish products) also contribute to the normalization of cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Preference should be given to cooking vegetable oil.

Milk. You should choose milk with a fat content of no more than 1.5 percent.

Cream and sour cream. It is recommended to refuse their use in general or to minimize, preferring as much as possible low percentage of fat.

Cheese. It is clear that the lower the fat content (35 percent or less), the better.

Yogurt. For dietary nutrition, you need to choose dairy or low fat yogurt with a fat content of not more than 2 percent.

Butter and margarine. Significantly limited or removed altogether.

Olive oil. Helps lower cholesterol. Moderate consumption is also recommended. sunflower, peanut, soybean, corn oils.

Meat. Best to use lean cuts of beef, veal and lamb. Always cut off the fat before cooking. It must be borne in mind that the complete rejection of the intake of red meat, rich in protein and iron, can lead to anemia, especially in young women. Meat products should be avoided sausages, sausages, salami, bacon. Offal ( liver, kidneys, brain) are very high in cholesterol and are not recommended for a healthy diet.

Bird. Turkey meat contains only 3-5 percent fat.

A fish. Regular consumption of fish omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of a heart attack by a third. The required amount of omega-3 fatty acids is 500-1000 mg per day.

Eggs. IN egg yolks a lot of cholesterol. Therefore, it is not recommended to consume more than 3-4 eggs per week. egg whites can be used without restrictions.

Fruits and vegetables. In countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, where residents adhere to the so-called mediterranean diet and where mortality from ischemia, hypertension and cancer is the lowest in Europe, the daily consumption of vegetables and fruits is at least 400 g. There is a rule " 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day". One serving is

  • one apple, orange, pear or banana;
  • 2-3 tablespoon freshly prepared salad or canned fruit;
  • 1 st. l. dried fruits, 2 tbsp. l. dishes from freshly frozen vegetables or fruits.

Bread and pasta. With a diet that lowers cholesterol, there is practically no intake of calories from animal fats. At the same time, bread and pasta, rich in carbohydrates, serve as an excellent alternative source of energy. Wholemeal bread contains insoluble plant fibers that bind cholesterol in the intestines and are excreted from the body.

legumes ( soybeans, beans, peas). Contains a lot of vegetable protein. Definitely recommended in a diet with a small amount of meat.

Alcohol. Scientific evidence shows that moderate drinking to some extent protects against atherosclerosis. Regular small doses of alcohol can improve blood flow, prevent the development of thrombosis in the vascular system and increase the level of "good" cholesterol.

Scientists are trying to determine “healthy norms” for alcohol consumption. For example, in the UK, the weekly norm is 21 conventional units of alcohol for men and 14 for women (1 conventional unit corresponds to 8 g of pure alcohol). In other words, men can drink daily without damage no more than 60 g of spirits, or 200 g of dry wine, or 220 g of beer. For women, the daily allowable dose is 2/3 of the male. Unfortunately, alcohol users rarely stop at this minimum level and are very often "treated" with it in amounts that are harmful to the body. For this reason, alcohol can hardly be recommended as a means of preventing atherosclerosis.

A person suffering from arterial hypertension or diabetes should discuss the issue of alcohol consumption with their doctor.

Coffee. It has been proven that brewed coffee raises blood cholesterol, since during preparation, fats are released from the coffee bean. There is also information that complete rejection of coffee leads to a decrease in blood cholesterol by 17 percent.

Tea. In 1995, scientific evidence was published that drinking tea has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, in particular, on the course and prevention of ischemia. This effect may be due to the high content flavonoids.

nuts. Contain a large amount of calories, vegetable protein, unsaturated fatty acids. Recent research suggests that regular consumption of certain types of nuts, such as walnuts, leads to moderate cholesterol reduction.

How many fish should you eat in a week to ensure sufficient omega 3 fatty acids:

  • sardines (or sprats, or mackerels) - 2-3 servings of 200-400 g each;
  • salmon (or herring) - 3-4 servings of 200-400 g each;
  • tuna (or cod, or haddock, or flounder) - as much as you like + daily fish oil capsules containing 500-1000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids.

The therapeutic diet for high cholesterol in the blood is the main link in the treatment of this disease. Consider how you can avoid excess fat and cholesterol in your diet. Let's figure out how to choose the right healthy food for yourself for every day and an approximate menu for a week if you are faced with hyperlipidemia.

Elevated cholesterol can be the cause of coronary heart disease, thrombosis of the veins of the lower extremities, stroke, myocardial infarction. You can prevent the severe consequences of chronic hyperlipidemia by following the simple rules listed below.

  1. Nutrition for hypercholesterolemia should be fractional. Try to eat 5-6 small meals a day. Thus, there is no increased appetite and the risk of overeating after a long fast.
  2. Eat vegetables and fruits at any time and in large quantities. Dietary fiber accelerates the excretion of excess cholesterol from the body.
  3. With bad cholesterol, the diet should contain mainly foods with vegetable fats. Try to use olive oil instead of butter when cooking.
  4. Try to eat lean meats no more than a couple of times a week. With high cholesterol, recipes and menus using poultry, veal, rabbit and lamb are best suited.
  5. Proper nutrition with high cholesterol is supported by sports. Gentle walks of at least three kilometers a day are recommended for people with elevated low-density lipoprotein levels.
  6. The diet for hypercholesterolemia should consist mainly of steamed, baked, boiled food. Frying should be avoided altogether.
  7. If you have high cholesterol, avoid foods high in animal fats. No need to eat bacon, pork, bacon, smoked meats. Replace these products with boiled poultry, fish, seafood.
  8. An increased level of salt in food is contraindicated in high blood pressure and atherosclerotic disease. Try to eat no more than 5 grams of salt per day. It is best to completely abandon this product.
  9. It is necessary to drink at least two liters of water per day, especially with thick blood and increased bilirubin. An elevated level of these indicators usually indicates a violation of the function of the liver and gallbladder, which leads to hyperlipidemia. Increased blood viscosity provokes the fixation of blood clots on lipid deposits in the vessels. It is necessary to eat sour berries that can thin the blood, such as cherries and gooseberries.
  10. Sweet pastries and high cholesterol are a bad combination. Milk chocolate should also be avoided. As an alternative dessert, sugar-free oatmeal cookies, dried fruits, nuts and honey are suitable. Sometimes you can treat yourself to oriental Turkish delight.
  11. The daily calorie requirement for women and men varies - an average of 2200 kcal and 2600 kcal, respectively. Increased calorie intake is also necessary for people engaged in heavy physical labor. These factors are important when formulating a diet.
  12. Be sure to refrain from alcohol abuse. Red wine is allowed, but no more than two glasses per week.
  13. Coffee is a controversial ally in the fight against high cholesterol. It contains cafestol, which increases the production of endogenous cholesterol by the liver. But some experts, on the contrary, recommend drinking 1-2 cups of coffee a day, as this helps to strengthen the cardiovascular system. So you can drink coffee, but do not abuse it. An alternative is a chicory drink or green tea.
  14. Cook porridge every day. Try not to boil the cereal, leaving it crumbly. Do not fill the finished dish with a lot of butter if you have high cholesterol. For oatmeal, for example, honey and dried fruits are suitable as a flavoring.
  15. Hyperlipidemia excludes the use of fatty dairy products. Replace them with fat-free yogurts and kefir. As a substitute, use low-fat yogurt and kefir.
  16. Products containing harmful trans fats, for example, fast food, are strictly contraindicated. Avoid chips and other snacks.
  17. When cooking poultry, remove the skin from the surface. Since it makes the dish more fatty and contains harmful components.
  18. Semi-finished products and hypercholesterolemia are mutually exclusive concepts. In such products there are no useful vitamins and minerals. Such food does not bring enough energy, but only clogs the body with ballast calories and fats.
  19. Try not to overeat at night. Eat dinner no later than two hours before going to bed. To suppress your appetite before going to bed, it is better to drink a glass of kefir or eat a couple of dates, a handful of almonds.
  20. Your doctor will tell you how to eat the best way. After weighing all the risks and comorbidities, an experienced specialist will help develop the most effective nutrition plan. Self-treatment of high cholesterol is not recommended.

Elevated cholesterol is a reversible process if you follow the above recommendations and regularly undergo a medical examination.

Popular diets for lowering cholesterol in women and men

A cholesterol-lowering diet may be based on a combination of different foods. To significantly reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood, it is important to observe the recommended diet for a long time, at least six months.

In order to select the optimal menu, the doctor must know everything about the patient: the results of examinations, concomitant diseases, of course, gender and age. It is important to know, for example, that women under 30 and over 40 have different metabolic rates. And men, for example, need more calories in their daily diet. In connection with these factors, an appropriate daily balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is selected in each nutrition program.

To understand the different types of diets that regulate high cholesterol, a comparative description of the most popular of them will help.

mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet, which lowers cholesterol levels, is recommended for people with atherosclerotic disease, hypertension and overweight. The basis of such nutrition is an abundance of cheeses, meat, fish and spices. Nevertheless, these products are perfectly combined and have a positive effect on high cholesterol. List of foods in the diet:

  • Spices and herbs.
  • Soft cheeses such as feta.
  • Olive oil.
  • Fish, mussels, shrimps.
  • Bird, lamb.
  • Red wine in moderation.
  • Unleavened flatbread made from wheat flour (pitas).
  • Vegetables and fruits.
  • Greek yogurt.
  • Cereals.

Fatty meats, lard, sausages, sweet drinks with gas are categorically excluded from the diet. Since these products can cause high cholesterol in the blood. As an example, the following menu for high cholesterol, calculated for a week, is presented:

Day 1:

  • For breakfast: three pieces of lentil fritters flavored with yogurt.
  • For lunch, refresh yourself with creamy Brussels sprout soup with shrimp; fruit platter and salad with olives and tofu.
  • You can have pita for dinner, stuffed with feta cubes and salad (cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, a couple of olives).

Day 2:

  • A good start to the day is cottage cheese and buckwheat zrazy.
  • Lunch snack - light soup with lentils, risotto with vegetables.
  • A good mood in the evening will be provided by baked salmon, flavored with olive oil, with Provence herbs.

Day 3:

  • Morning meal - buckwheat cooked in vegetable broth.
  • At lunch, tuna baked with vegetables will restore strength; tomato puree soup.
  • For dinner: salad with chicken breast and avocado, flavored with olive oil, pita.

Day 4:

  • Breakfast: yogurt with chopped hazelnuts and almonds, you can add a little honey.
  • Light lunch meal: soup with fish meatballs, baked potatoes with tomatoes.
  • Dinner: vegetable salad with one egg, lemon juice and olive oil.

Day 5:

  • Breakfast: oatmeal on the water, with the addition of honey and raisins.
  • Give energy at lunch - spinach leaves and asparagus puree soup with liquid cream; lightly boiled salmon with wild rice.
  • Dinner: bake a cake with small cherry tomatoes and feta, on a wholemeal crust, optionally crumble tofu cubes.

Day 6:

  • Breakfast: dried fruit soufflé, green tea.
  • For lunch - cabbage soup, chicken stew with vegetables, one pita.
  • For dinner - zucchini with feta in the oven, pita with avocado and olive oil.

Day 7:

  • For breakfast: pour baked pumpkin with yogurt and honey.
  • Lunch: cream soup of champignons and chanterelles; chicken, grated with garlic, with sweet pepper in the oven.
  • Dinner: wild rice stew with mussels and shrimps.

For snacks between main meals, you can use dates, prunes, raisins, almonds. Such a diet will not only help to put in order high cholesterol, but also reduce body weight.

Diet table number 10

Dietitians recommend the so-called diet table number 10 to patients with impaired fat metabolism in the body. This diet has the optimal ratio of the main components: proteins-fats-carbohydrates. This diet against cholesterol has an energy value of 2350 to 2600 kcal per day. With such a menu, it is necessary to exclude from the diet the use of alcohol, coffee, strong teas, chocolates. Salt in this diet is minimized, it is allowed to add a little salt to the already prepared dish.

The method of cooking is mainly boiling and baking. Since high cholesterol excludes the use of fried foods. It is recommended to eat at least five meals a day in small portions. Evening snack no later than two hours before going to bed. Products that can be consumed:

  • Vegetable freshly squeezed juices, jelly.
  • Fresh vegetable salads.
  • Eggs without yolk.
  • Fish: tuna, salmon, carp.
  • Fat-free cottage cheese, kefir and yogurt.
  • Kashi.

It is necessary to refuse the following products: butter, fatty meat, and especially red, salted and smoked fish delicacies, fatty cheeses, pickled vegetables, mustard. A sample menu for a week if you have high cholesterol might look like this:

  • Early breakfast: buckwheat boiled in 1% milk, soft-boiled egg, weak green tea with milk.
  • Pre-lunch snack: a piece of boiled chicken meat or a fresh apple.
  • Lunch: vegetable broth with barley groats, mushrooms and finely chopped zucchini, baked salmon or carp with stewed vegetables (for example, bell peppers, onions, zucchini), 1 glass of fresh apple juice.
  • Snack: rosehip tea, nuts and dried fruits (for example, prunes and almonds).
  • Dinner: fat-free cottage cheese, boiled grated beets with an apple, 1 glass of low-fat milk.
  • At night: 1 glass of fat-free kefir.

During the week, you can combine different variations of dishes from vegetables, white poultry and fish. For snacks, use nuts, fruits, such as a banana or an apple. Dietary table No. 10 is recommended not only for the prevention of the occurrence of atherosclerosis of the vessels, but also for hypothyroidism. With regular dieting for at least four months, high cholesterol can be significantly reduced.

Diet table number 10A

A recent myocardial infarction, high cholesterol, cerebrovascular accidents due to blockage of blood vessels are indications for the use of dietary table No. 10A. Food with high cholesterol should contain as little animal fat as possible, but at the same time satisfy the energy needs of the body. Diet number 10 has about 2500-2600 kcal. The principle of this menu is a reduced amount of fats and carbohydrates, proteins are at the lower limit of the norm. Cooking takes place without the addition of salt, mainly steamed and boiled.

This diet has a number of restrictions:

  • Bread - maximum 145 g per day.
  • Vegetable broths - up to 180 ml.
  • The use of cheeses, pearl barley and millet is excluded.
  • Do not eat extremely hot or cold foods.

Diet table number 10, which has a positive effect on high cholesterol, looks like this for every day:

  • Breakfast: chopped oatmeal with 1% milk, green tea, a small apple.
  • Snack: baked apples with cottage cheese.
  • Lunch: steamed chicken cutlets, mashed potatoes without oil, half a glass of fresh apple juice.
  • Afternoon snack: prunes or dates.
  • Dinner: carrot-apple cutlets baked in the oven, half a glass of fat-free kefir.
  • Before going to bed: half a glass of rosehip tincture or chicory drink.

After the age of 50, more than 35% of people have high cholesterol. As a result, the risk of progression of atherosclerotic disease and the occurrence of myocardial infarction, stroke increases. Therefore, at this age, it is especially important to adhere to proper nutrition, combined with light physical activity.

Diet table number 10C

Table No. 10C is a therapeutic diet for lowering cholesterol. This way of eating is recommended for people with diagnosed coronary heart disease and high blood pressure, provoked by atherosclerosis. This menu is dominated by vegetable fat, dietary fiber, foods with a high content of vitamins B, PP, C. The daily calorie content of the menu is about 2570 kcal. It is necessary to eat fractional portions in six doses per day.

  • Bran.
  • Sea cabbage.
  • Vegetables and fruits can be eaten in large portions.
  • Eggs bake or weld a little, a maximum of three pieces a week.
  • Buckwheat, oatmeal, barley porridge.
  • Honey, a couple of spoons a day.
  • Spaghetti durum, try not to overcook.

Forbidden foods include food-like menu number 10. The approximate daily diet is as follows:

  • Breakfast: boiled buckwheat without oil, light curd mass with seasonal fruits, tea.
  • Snack: baked apple or dried apricots.
  • Lunch: stewed carrots, steamed beetroot cutlets, rice soup with vegetables lightly fried in olive oil, seasonal fruit compote.
  • Afternoon snack: unsweetened berry smoothie or honey with a handful of hazelnuts.
  • Dinner: Salad of seasonal vegetables with olive oil and seaweed, salmon (another oily fish) baked with lemon slice and thyme, boiled potatoes, weak green tea.
  • Before going to bed: a glass of 1% kefir.

A healthy lifestyle is not limited to diet alone. Since high cholesterol levels require complex treatment. Do not forget about physical exercises, as well as long walks in the fresh air.

low carb diet

To lower high cholesterol, you can use a low-carbohydrate diet. Its meaning lies in the minimum use of foods rich in carbohydrates. Thus, the body adapts to release more energy from fats and proteins. At the same time, an increased consumption of cholesterol reserves begins. This process reduces elevated blood cholesterol levels.

Foods excluded from the low-carb menu include:

  • Sweet pastries, white bread.
  • Sugar and fructose, honey.
  • Alcohol and sugary drinks with gas.
  • Macaroni and potatoes.
  • Milk chocolate.
  • Sweet fruits such as grapes.

In large quantities, animal proteins should be present in the daily diet, for example, fish, dairy products, lean meats. This is what a low-carb menu for a week might look like:

Monday:

  • Egg white omelet with chopped champignons and tomato;
  • Creamy Chicken and Brussels Sprouts Soup. Two whole grain breads;
  • Pear;
  • Stewed veal with bell pepper.

Tuesday:

  • Thin pancakes on kefir with cottage cheese, raisins.
  • Salmon ear. Two slices of cereal bread.
  • Green apple.
  • Braised chicken fillet with spinach.

Wednesday:

  • Cheesecakes with low-fat sour cream.
  • Buckwheat on the water and baked chicken cutlet.
  • Orange.
  • Cold chicken.

Thursday:

  • Whipped curd.
  • Cheese soup with chicken breast. Two whole grain toasts.
  • Half grapefruit.
  • Unpolished rice. Steamed zucchini and carrot cutlets, fresh cucumber.

Friday:

  • One soft-boiled egg sprinkled with grated cheese.
  • Fish stewed in a light creamy sauce.
  • Kiwi or one orange.
  • Boiled beans, mashed. Chicken rolls. One tomato.
  • Before going to bed - a glass of kefir.

Saturday:

  • Cottage cheese and natural yoghurt.
  • Steamed lamb meatballs and one cucumber.
  • Mandarin or apple.
  • Seafood. Arugula salad with olive oil.

Sunday:

  • Steam omelet with chicken breast.
  • Turkey fillet baked with broccoli.
  • A glass of 1% kefir.
  • Rabbit stewed with vegetables (onions, zucchini, sweet peppers).

While following this diet, it is recommended to take up to two liters of fluid per day. In women, a contraindication to a low-carbohydrate diet may be the period of breastfeeding and pregnancy. Elevated cholesterol with timely detection can be successfully treated with the help of nutritional correction. What kind of diet you need to follow, only the attending physician can finally decide after a detailed analysis of your history.

An increase in blood cholesterol levels poses a threat to health, so there is cause for concern. Any prescribed treatment must be accompanied by a change in diet and compliance with certain rules. A diet for high cholesterol is an integral part of therapy that allows you to lower your indicators to normal.

Diet Basics

Many people have their own bad eating habits that adversely affect health and are often the cause of high blood cholesterol levels. For example, some men have a habit of relaxing in the evening with a glass of beer, and regular alcohol consumption with problems with blood counts is unacceptable. As for the fair sex, they sometimes have to give up such harmless habits as coffee and chocolate.

In any case, in order to learn how to determine what you can eat and what not, you need to understand the principles underlying the fight against high cholesterol. Doctors explain that a therapeutic diet for such people is similar to the usual proper nutrition, but has its own characteristics. It is based on the following principles:

  • it is necessary to eat food in small portions at least 4-5 times a day;
  • products containing cholesterol in their composition should be minimized, their list is given below;
  • eating fats is allowed exclusively of vegetable origin, and animal fats must be limited;
  • half of the daily diet should be vegetables and fruits, with each meal they are recommended to be consumed in small quantities;
  • several days a week it is necessary to supplement the menu with fish or seafood;
  • it is strictly forbidden to use fast food and any fast food (semi-finished products).

When to sound the alarm

The sooner a person learns about high cholesterol and begins to follow a diet, the more likely it is that he will be able to avoid complications. Men and women have their own characteristics that can affect the appearance of the problem. Doctors explain that with age, for each person, the rate of cholesterol in the blood increases. Why is this happening?

In women, this is mainly due to the onset of menopause, which is accompanied by hormonal changes that affect the work of all internal body systems. Although the male body is not subject to hormonal changes due to age, according to its physiological characteristics, it has a natural tendency to accumulate cholesterol. Therefore, the table of norm indicators for women has different values ​​\u200b\u200bin different periods of life, and for men they are the same.

For women, the norm of general indicators is as follows:

  • up to 25 years - 3.16-5.6 mmol / l;
  • after 25 years - 3.37-5.96 mmol / l;
  • after 45 years - 3.81-6.53 mmol / l;
  • after 50 years - 4.2-7.4 mmol / l;
  • after 60 years - 4.45-7.7 mmol / l.

For men, the norm of general cholesterol indicators is up to 5 mmol / l.

Important! In order to detect problems with cholesterol in time, it is recommended to regularly donate blood for analysis! This can be done in almost any medical laboratory. An important rule of passing the analysis is to do it on an empty stomach.

Foods forbidden for high cholesterol

Forbidden foods with high cholesterol should be permanently excluded from the diet. It may not be easy to do this, but it is important to remember that the human body has a tendency to adapt to a new diet, so if you show willpower, then after a while the correct diet will become habitual, there will be no problems. So, it is forbidden to use such products:

  • egg yolk;
  • liver in any form, including pate;
  • fish caviar;
  • butter;
  • margarine and any other butter substitutes;
  • store sweets;
  • confectionery from shortbread or pastry;
  • fast food;
  • any smoked products, including sausages;
  • cream and other dairy products with a fat content of more than 2.5%;
  • hard cheeses;
  • fatty meat: ribs, pork belly, etc.;
  • coffee;
  • alcohol.

It is also important to choose the right method of heat treatment of products during cooking. It is forbidden to fry them in vegetable oil, smoke, salt. Fried cutlets, chops, fish - all this will have to be excluded from the diet in order to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Interesting! The recommended diet for high cholesterol does not allow coffee, the thing is that it contains cafestol, a substance that directly provokes an increase in performance. However, for sugar and cholesterol, doctors allow 1-2 cups of coffee brewed using the French press technique (assumes no boiling).

Approved Products

In fact, the allowed list of products is varied. The recommended diet is based on foods without cholesterol or those in which it is contained in a small amount. Considering that the diet involves the use of a sufficient amount of vegetable fats, the following products are recommended:

  • nuts (pistachios, cashews, almonds and others, except for peanuts, walnuts);
  • sunflower and olive oils, which must be seasoned with salads.

When buying dairy products, you must choose those in which there is a minimum percentage of fat content. When choosing pasta, you need to buy those in the manufacture of which durum wheat is used. Also, to reduce cholesterol, it is recommended to consume red vegetables, fruits and berries.

Several days a week should be fish, it is best to cook sea fish, which is rich in vitamins, amino acids and other useful elements. In addition, fatty fish of northern reservoirs (herring, tuna, mackerel, ide) is suitable, it is a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Despite the fact that the liver is on the list of prohibited foods that prevent cholesterol from lowering, the liver of sea fish is an exception.

From sweets, the use of those that do not have a flour base is allowed, while the amount of sugar in them is minimal. These include marshmallows, marmalade, homemade jam, Turkish delight, popsicles. You can also drink unsweetened fruit drinks and natural juices from red fruits.

Advice! For the sweet tooth, there are many different desserts that are acceptable for high cholesterol. Some craftsmen prepare sweets for themselves: they combine allowed sweets with nuts, fruits and berries.

Is it necessary to follow a strict diet with high cholesterol? Some people think that they will have to limit themselves in everything and do not even understand what to cook. Consider an example menu for the week. Detailed recipes for every day can be found in special books or on the Internet. Below are breakfast, lunch and dinner options that can be combined in any order.

Breakfasts

  1. Cheesecakes baked in the oven, a glass of orange juice, an apple.
  2. Vegetable salad dressed with olive oil, toast with jam, grapefruit, green tea.
  3. Oatmeal with nuts and dried fruits, herbal tea.
  4. Wheat-pumpkin porridge, any fruit, cottage cheese with sour cream (low-fat).
  5. Vegetable salad seasoned with sunflower oil and lemon juice, toast with jam, tomato juice.
  1. Vegetable soup, 2 steamed cutlets, a slice of bread, a glass of juice.
  2. Pea soup, a slice of cheese, for example, Adyghe, a slice of bread.
  3. Rice soup, fresh or canned tuna, popsicles.
  4. Sea fish soup, fresh vegetable salad, 2 slices of whole grain bread.
  5. Soup with minced chicken meatballs, a slice of bread, fresh fruit.
  1. Boiled beans, rice porridge, grilled vegetables.
  2. Stewed vegetables stew, egg white omelet, a glass of fat-free kefir or yogurt.
  3. Baked sea fish, fresh vegetable salad with olive oil.
  4. Oatmeal, canned tuna salad, apple.
  5. Fish stewed with vegetables in tomato sauce, a slice of bread, a glass of yogurt.

Advice! It is convenient for many to create a menu for themselves immediately for 7 days in advance in order to purchase products and have time to cook them.

Consequences of not following the diet

Statistics show that every fifth inhabitant of our country has an elevated level of cholesterol in the blood, but not all of them know what kind of diet they need. Doctors warn that non-compliance with the rules of nutrition leads to a further increase in indicators.

An increase in cholesterol provokes the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system, many of which are chronic. Doctors say that every second heart attack is associated with this phenomenon.

Also, excess cholesterol accumulates on the walls of the arteries, as a result of which a healthy person can acquire atherosclerosis in a short time. Such deposits can accumulate on other organs, even on the brain, which increases the risk of acquiring many serious diseases.

Thus, following a diet with high cholesterol is a necessary measure for the successful fight against the disease. If you know how to reduce the levels of this substance in the blood, you can ensure that they will be normal for a long time. Otherwise, complications that can turn out to be serious chronic diseases cannot be avoided.

Doctor's opinion

Lowering blood cholesterol should always begin with a diet before taking any medications.

To understand the principles of building a diet that will help lower cholesterol, a table compiled on the basis of the recommendations of the European Heart Association is very suitable. It shows in a simple and visual form the products that can and should be consumed, which should be limited, and which should be completely abandoned.

food group Featured Products Foods that should be limited Products whose consumption is not recommended
Cereals Wholemeal bread, cereal flakes, porridge, pasta, crispbread White flour, white bread, sweet cereals, unsweetened cookies, muffins Premium bread, rolls, cakes, confectionery
Dairy products, eggs Low-fat milk, low-fat cheeses and yogurts, egg whites Semi-skimmed milk, medium-fat cheeses, 1-3 eggs per week Whole milk, concentrated milk, cream, milk substitutes, fatty cheeses and yoghurts
A fish Cod, haddock, flounder

Fatty fish: herring, mackerel, sardine, tuna, salmon

Do not eat fish skin (sardines, smelt)

Fish fried in vegetable oil Caviar, fish fried in an unknown or unsuitable oil or fat
Seafood Oysters, scallops Bivalves, lobsters, shrimp Shrimp, including serrated, squid
Meat Turkey, chicken, veal, game, rabbit, young lamb Very lean veal, ham, bacon, lamb (1-2 times per week)

Veal, chicken sausages, liver 2 times a month

Duck, goose, all types of fatty meat, regular sausages, salami, meat pies, bacon, poultry skin, pates
Fats All fats should be limited Sunflower, corn, nut, soy, olive, rapeseed oils Butter, meat fat, lard, lard, heavy margarines, cooking oils
Fruits and vegetables All fresh and frozen vegetables, especially legumes: beans, dried beans, lentils, peas, corn, boiled potatoes

Dried fruits, canned unsweetened fruits

Fried potatoes, potato flakes cooked in sunflower oil, fruits in syrup Fried potatoes or potato flakes, vegetables or rice fried in an unknown or unsuitable oil or fat, chips, pickles (canned vegetables)
finished products Sorbitol, jellies, low-fat milk puddings, fruit salads, meringue Cakes, pastries and biscuits made with margarine or butter containing unsaturated fats Ice cream, puddings, factory cakes, biscuits, pies, snacks and puddings
Confectionery Oriental sweets, nougat, lollipops Marzipan, halva Chocolate, sugar and butter candies, fudge, coconut pulp, burnt sugar and butter candies
The drinks Tea, light diet drinks, mineral water Alcohol, low-fat liquid chocolate Liquid chocolate, Irish coffee, high-fat malt drinks

The fact of elevated cholesterol levels in the blood is not so terrible, as the consequences of this condition are terrible. Numerous studies show that the higher the level of blood cholesterol, the higher the risk of getting sick and dying from diseases associated with atherosclerosis. First of all, it is coronary heart disease, heart attack, impaired cerebral blood supply - stroke.

The level of blood cholesterol should not exceed 5.2 mmol / l. If this happens, be sure to consult a doctor, he will choose the tactics of further measures, but you need to pay close attention to your diet.

The basic principles of nutrition with high cholesterol:

  1. A diet for high cholesterol is prescribed for a long time, at least for 6 months, in many cases, its principles should be followed throughout life.
  2. Fat restriction. Animal fats cause particular harm to the body, their sources are fatty meat (lamb, pork, goose), fatty dairy products - sour cream, cream, butter.
  3. Meat and poultry must be cooked in such a way that they are not in fat, free fat must drain.
  4. The skin of the bird must be removed prior to cooking.
  5. Beef or chicken broth must be cooled so that hardened fat can be removed from the surface. Or cook soups on 2 broth, while the first one is drained.
  6. For salads, you can use low-fat dressings - lemon juice, low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.
  7. Replace dairy products with low-fat or low-fat products in all recipes. Use low fat cheeses.
  8. You can stew vegetables in meat broth instead of butter or margarine.
  9. Egg yolks should be consumed limitedly, no more than 2 yolks per week. Proteins do not contain cholesterol, so they can be used more often in the diet.
  10. Add fiber-rich foods to your diet: fruits, vegetables, whole grains - cereals, bread. You can additionally use bran, adding them to dishes.
  11. Some products on the menu can be replaced with soy counterparts. Soy is free of cholesterol. For example, you can use soy cheese tofu.
  12. A sufficient amount of complex carbohydrates in the diet - cereals, cereals, cereal pasta, whole grain bread, vegetables, fruits. At the same time, simple carbohydrates should be minimal. Sources of simple carbohydrates: sugar and all products containing it, white bread, sweet pastries.
  13. Include in the menu products-sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids: sea fish, nuts, vegetable oils. It is important that these foods are present in the diet, but their amount is moderate. Sea fish per week should be about 3 servings of 100-120g, nuts should be consumed in dried form, without any additives, you can eat no more than 1 handful per day - about 10-12 pieces, use vegetable oil 5-6 teaspoons in a day.
  14. In most people, elevated cholesterol levels are associated with overweight, so reducing it most often leads to lower cholesterol levels.

Fresh fruits and berries must be added to the above menu. They are perfect for a snack between breakfast and lunch.

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