A diet with high cholesterol in itself usually does not give the desired effect, it only helps in combination with taking medication. However, without it, the treatment will not work.
When compiling a menu, it is necessary to take into account not only the level of cholesterol in a person's blood, but also his gender and age. You do not need to leave such a diet, because in this case you will need to adhere to a therapeutic diet for life.
What does high cholesterol mean?
Cholesterol (cholesterol) is a steroid that is essential for the human body. It plays an important role in lipid metabolism, is involved in the production of hormones. This substance is present in all cells of the body, even in the brain. However, the situation is dangerous when cholesterol levels rise.
Transport of cholesterol molecules to tissues is carried out with the help of proteins. They are of several types:
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL). This is the so-called "good" cholesterol. They take the excess fat, transport it to the liver, where it is processed into bile acids, which are then excreted through the intestines.
- Low density lipoproteins (LDL). This is "bad" cholesterol. They send its molecules to the tissues. With elevated LDL levels, excess of this substance is deposited, forming plaques, which lead to cardiovascular disease.
- Very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). They are considered the most dangerous type, as they transport fats like triglycerides from the liver to the tissues.
If you need a low cholesterol diet, it means that a person has a high level of LDL and it is the "bad" cholesterol that he needs to reduce.
The basics of diet
A hypocholesterolemic diet with a high cholesterol level is observed throughout life. This is not a completely cholesterol-free diet, as it is impossible to eliminate all cholesterol-containing foods from the diet. Recent studies have shown that if you completely rule it out, the situation will lead to neurological and endocrine disorders.
Basic principles of dietary nutrition:
- Eat at least 400 g of fruits and vegetables a day. Their share may even increase. Starchy vegetables like potatoes and squash are allowed to be consumed, but in limited quantities, not more than the physiologically acceptable rate. Their cholesterol load is low, but they contain carbohydrates.
- Use of vegetable proteins at the expense of legumes, if there is no kidney disease.
- Partial food, in which the total amount of food is divided into 5-6 meals. This will help ensure gallbladder drainage.
- Limit salt intake to 5 g per day.
- Exclude pickled foods, salty and smoked, sweet soda.
- Consumption of sugar at the level of 5 tablespoons. in one day. The amount is considered in total, with all drinks and cooking.
- Body weight control.
If necessary, you can spend fasting days with vegetables, apples or kefir. When you are overweight, start with a diet low in cholesterol or fruits and vegetables and then move on to an anti-cholesterol diet plan.
Prohibited Products
The standard diet for lowering LDL limits or completely eliminates fat-rich foods. Prohibited include:
- fatty meats and fish;
- underwear;
- cream and skim milk;
- margarine.
Just because of this, you can lower your cholesterol levels by 10-15%. Sometimes it is not even necessary to follow a diet. Just reject the listed products, include in the menu every day more vegetables and fruits, fish and seafood, vegetable fats.
When designing a diet, it is important to remember that to lower cholesterol, it is not necessary to completely exclude fats. Their percentage is determined individually, depending on the severity of the disease. Sometimes it should be reduced by 20%, but usually the restrictions are not so significant. Vegetable oils should also be used with caution, no more than normal, as they contribute to the accumulation of harmful substances in the body.
With high sugar levels, reduce the amount of carbohydrates. But with normal body weight and glucose levels, you can slightly increase the percentage of complex carbohydrates to provide the body with energy.
To reduce the fat and cholesterol content in the daily menu, you should follow the following rules:
- the fat is cut from the flesh, the skin is necessarily removed from the birds;
- vegetables are never cooked with meat, as they absorb fats;
- any recipe fits this diet, reducing the fat content in it (for example, they get sour cream with a lower fat content);
- Dishes with rice, mashed potatoes, pasta are cooked without butter.
You should also use non-stick cookware to avoid redness.
Approved products
The hypocholesterolemic diet allows the following products to be listed:
- Lean meat and fish. The most useful is cold sea fish, which contains omega-3 acids that affect fat metabolism.
- Vegetable oils that bind and remove cholesterol (this is not just olive oil but also soybean oil or rapeseed oil).
- Dairy products, including cottage cheese, sour cream, low-fat cheese.
- Walnuts, especially walnuts and almonds, as they are rich in vitamins, folic acid, magnesium and arginine. However, they do contain a lot of calories, so you should eat them in small amounts.
- Cereals - buckwheat, rice, oatmeal.
- Eggs - no more than 2-4 per week, depending on health status.
- Soy products. They are very useful, but we are talking only about high quality goods, for example, you can eat tofu.
- Foods that contain dietary fiber are wheat and oat bran.
- Fruits, especially apples and citrus fruits, as they help lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots.
Bread can be consumed, but only yesterday's baking or toast. Tea is also included in the daily diet. But to reduce the potential damage, it should be lean and with a minimal amount of sugar.
Dish recipes
The need to follow an anti-cholesterol diet does not mean that a person is forced to eat the same dishes all the time.
By using foods that lower cholesterol, you can create a healthy and delicious menu for the right food.
citrus marmalade
Citrus fruits contain a lot of pectin involved in digestive processes. Forms a very viscous mass that helps remove cholesterol from the body before it enters the bloodstream. Citrus fruits are good in any form. They can be eaten raw, as part of a fruit salad, and they are also used to make jam.
For its preparation take:
- orange - 1 pc. ;
- grapefruit - 1 pc. ;
- lemon - 1 pc. ;
- sugar - 0, 5 kg;
- water - 500 ml.
Cooking:
- Citrus fruits are washed, squeezed from the fruit juice with pulp.
- Thick white fibers are cut from the bark and cut into thin strips.
- The raw materials are placed in a pot.
- Add the liquid and water.
- Boil for 12-20 minutes.
- Add the sugar and keep on low heat until the mass reaches a viscous state. When cooled it will turn into jam.
White bean soup with herbs
Legumes - lentils, beans, peas - contain dietary fiber that is beneficial to the cardiovascular system. They are high in protein and can replace fatty meats in the diet. They are prepared in different ways. Mediterranean cuisine includes many types of legume dishes. For example, you can cook white bean soup with herbs.
For this you will need:
- dried white beans - 1 tablespoon;
- lamp - 1 pc. ;
- carrots - 1 pc. ;
- chopped celery stalk - 1 pc. ;
- weak chicken broth - 0, 5 l;
- water - 0, 5 l;
- salt and spices - to taste.
Cooking:
- The beans are soaked overnight and then boiled for 2 hours. It turns out about 500-600 g of the finished product.
- Onions, carrots and celery are cooked for 8-10 minutes.
- Put the beans in the pan and add the vegetables.
- Pour in broth and water.
- Add salt and spices.
- Let it simmer.
- Leave on low heat for another 15 minutes.
- Half of the bean-vegetable mass is taken out of the soup, beaten in a blender and returned to the remaining ingredients.
The result is a very thick soup, to which different types of fresh herbs are added before serving.
carrot cutlets
Carrots are another product that can lower cholesterol, including because of the pectin it contains. From it you can cook meatballs.
Required:
- medium carrots - 3 pieces;
- eggs - 3 pieces. ;
- flour - about 5-6 tablespoons. l. with a slide;
- salt - to taste.
Cooking:
- Carrots are pressed on a coarse grater.
- Add eggs, flour and salt.
- Everything is mixed.
- The cutlets are formed and baked in a non-stick pan without oil or in the oven turning them several times.
sweet pepper salad
Sweet pepper helps strengthen blood vessels and remove cholesterol. From it you can make a healthy salad.
For this you need:
- pepper - 2 pieces;
- red onion - 2 pieces;
- greens - to taste;
- vegetable oil - for clothing.
Cooking:
- Cut the vegetables.
- Sprinkle with herbs.
- Filled with vegetable oil.
Roasted eggplants with bacon
These vegetables contain a lot of potassium and normalize metabolism. You can cook roasted eggplants with low-fat bacon.
This will require:
- eggplant - 2 pieces;
- bacon - 100 g;
- low-fat sour cream - 3 tablespoons. l. ;
- minced cheese - 70-80 g;
- greens - to taste.
Cooking:
- Eggplants are washed, cut in half, lay on a baking sheet.
- The bacon is crushed, mixed with chopped herbs.
- Add sour cream.
- Spread the mixture over the eggplants and bake for 15 minutes.
You can experiment with any known recipe, changing the ingredients in them to the most useful.
Diet for high cholesterol in women
With a normal blood cholesterol level, there is no need for an anti-cholesterol diet, it can even be harmful. Therefore, it is necessary to know the indicators in which such a food is indicated. For women, the rate is reflected in the table below:
Age | Total cholesterol, mmol / l | "Bad" cholesterol, mmol / l | "Useful" cholesterol, mmol / l |
35-40 years old | Until 6. 27 | Not higher than 4. 45 | Not higher than 2. 12 |
40-45 years old | Up to 6. 53 | Not higher than 4. 51 | Not higher than 2. 28 |
45-50 years old | Up to 6. 66 | Not higher than 4. 82 | Not higher than 2. 25 |
50-55 years old | Until 7. 15 | Not higher than 5. 21 | Not higher than 2. 38 |
55-60 years old | Up to 7. 77 | Not higher than 5. 44 | Not higher than 2. 35 |
60-65 years old | Until 7. 69 | Not higher than 5. 80 | Not higher than 2. 38 |
It is necessary to pass the proper blood tests and act in accordance with the results. If "bad" cholesterol is higher than normal, an anti-cholesterol diet is necessary. It has been followed for a long time. Depending on your health condition, it may be necessary for a lifetime.
A sample menu for 7 days for women looks like this:
Days of the week | diet |
Monday |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
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Saturday |
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Sunday |
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This menu is adapted to reflect age and other chronic conditions. For example, women over 60 should limit meat in favor of fish and dairy products. This is especially true for those suffering from arthritis and osteoarthritis, as meat contains substances that promote inflammation of the joints. With high sugar, you need to limit carbohydrates.
Characteristics of the anti-cholesterol diet in men
The table of cholesterol rates for men is as follows:
Age | Total cholesterol, mmol / l | "Bad" cholesterol, mmol / l | "Useful" cholesterol, mmol / l |
35-40 years old | Up to 6. 99 | Not higher than 4. 90 | Not higher than 1. 60 |
40-45 years old | Up to 6. 94 | Not higher than 4. 82 | Not higher than 1. 73 |
45-50 years old | Until 7. 15 | Not higher than 5. 23 | Not higher than 1. 66 |
50-55 years old | Until 7. 17 | Not higher than 5. 10 | Not higher than 1. 63 |
55-60 years old | Until 7. 15 | Not higher than 5. 26 | Not higher than 1. 84 |
60-65 years old | Until 7. 15 | Not higher than 5. 44 | Not higher than 1. 91 |
A sample menu for a week for a man might look like this:
Days of the week | diet |
Monday |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
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Saturday |
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Sunday |
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Men also have age-related dietary traits associated with the fact that physical activity gradually decreases, so less protein is needed than with intense exercise.
Characteristics of feeding age
With the rise of bad cholesterol, you need to monitor your diet, but it is important to do so taking into account age-related characteristics.
Up to 40 years old
The metabolic rate is still high, but gradually begins to decline. The main task of the diet is to speed up the metabolic process.
At this time, animal protein is still important, so you should maintain lean meat consumption at least 3-4 times a week.
At the age of 40-50 years
At this time, hormonal changes begin in the body, the need for animal protein decreases.
It is recommended to reduce meat consumption to 2 times a week, to include more fish dishes in the diet. Instead of coffee, it is better to drink herbal tea or ginger.
At the age of 50-60 years
The speed of metabolic processes continues to slow down, which also reduces the role of cholesterol, which is no longer needed in such quantities.
At this time, whole milk should be completely discarded, replacing it with sour milk products.
After 60 years
Meat can be eaten no more than once a week, eggs - a maximum of 3 per week. The body may be deficient in iron and iodine, so it is recommended to consume more buckwheat, seafood and other foods that contain these substances.
diet for overweight
Dietary food, starting from a certain age, is necessary for everyone, regardless of weight. But if a person has severe obesity, a low carb program is needed.
Therefore, sweets, pastries, some fruits (grapes and dates) are eliminated from the diet, leaving only the healthy carbohydrates contained in cereals, vegetables, etc.