"Bad cholesterol": is diet alone always enough to influence it?
It is good to know that there is a genetic disease called familial hypercholesterolaemia. People burdened with this disease are born with high levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Such patients should primarily use "bad cholesterol" medications. However, of course, a proper diet is also recommended as one of the elements of the therapy.
In our country, 1 in 250 people suffer from familial hypercholesterolaemia.
Diet to lower cholesterol: basic recommendations
There are three nutrients that have a decisive influence on the concentration of cholesterol in the blood. These are:
- saturated fatty acids (abbreviated as NKT);
- trans isomers of unsaturated fatty acids;
- and dietary cholesterol.
Saturated Fatty Acids (SFA)
They not only affect high blood cholesterol, but also promote blood clots and inflammation, which is not beneficial for our cardiovascular system. EFAs are mainly found in products of animal origin, i.e. in fatty meat and its products as well as in fatty dairy products. Therefore, in a diet to lower cholesterol:
- avoid pork, lamb, lamb, and cold cuts such as pate, sausages, liver sausage, salami, country sausages, ham and bacon;
- Always remove the skin from poultry meat. Choose turkey or chicken. Avoid geese and ducks;
- Prepare meat dishes with as little or no fat as possible. Use culinary techniques such as boiling in water, steaming, baking, grilling, stewing without browning;
- convert milk 3.2% fat for milk 1-2% fat Replace cream and Greek yoghurt with natural yoghurt up to 2% fat. Replace fatty cottage cheese with lean or semi-fat cheese. Limit eating cheese to 2 slices a day. Avoid processed, blue, homogenized and oscypek cheeses. Watch out for greasy sandwich cheeses. Choose those that are defined as "light" or "light" (however, this does not mean that they must be 0% fat);
- use butter sporadically and only in small amounts;
- do not use coconut and palm oil. Although they are vegetable oils, they are dominated by saturated fatty acids, and not - beneficial unsaturated fatty acids, as is the case, for example, in olive oil or linseed oil. Remember that palm oil is very often used in the production of sweets. Read product labels and try to avoid ones that contain palm and / or coconut oil.
Trans isomers of unsaturated fatty acids
They are created as a result of industrial, partial hardening of vegetable oils. Their negative effect on our health consists, among others, in on the fact that they contribute to the increase in the concentration of "bad cholesterol" in the blood, and at the same time lower the concentration of "good cholesterol" (HDL cholesterol). Therefore, in a cholesterol-lowering diet, trans fats should also be present in as little amounts as possible. Trans fats are mainly present in:
- sweets (especially bars, filled chocolates and wafers, chocolate cream, ice cream);
- fast-food food (e.g. in pizza, burgers, kebabs, french fries);
- hard cubed margarines (do not use them when making dough. It is much healthier to use rapeseed oil for baking);
- instant products (e.g. powdered soups and sauces).
You can read more about trans isomers here.
Dietary cholesterol: how does it affect high cholesterol? What do these two relationships have in common?
Food cholesterol raises blood cholesterol levels. But not as much as once thought. You should definitely be more careful with saturated fatty acids and trans fats. Dietary cholesterol intensifies the adverse effects of EFAs, and in particular, it is worth keeping in mind.
The main sources of dietary cholesterol are:
- egg yolks. Experts argue that we should not eat more than 300 mg of cholesterol a day. One egg provides about 186 mg of it, which is more than half of the indicated value. However, you should not eliminate eggs from your menu for this reason, because they are a great source of protein, vitamins A, D, B12, B1, B2, and iron. Therefore, eating eggs in moderation. One egg a day is a safe compromise.
- offal (liver, kidneys, tongues, hearts, brain) and offal meats (liver, brawn, black pudding;
- seafood (shrimp, mussels, etc.).
What to eat to lower cholesterol?
You already know which products to avoid so that your daily diet reduces cholesterol. Now it's time to get to know the products that should be included in the menu in order to reduce cholesterol. They are recommended to patients who wonder: "What to eat to reduce cholesterol?".
Vegetable oils
First of all, rapeseed oil, olive oil and linseed oil. Eat the latter raw, e.g. as an addition to salads, salads, cottage cheese. The first two can also be eaten raw, but they are also suitable for heat treatment, e.g. for frying. Eat a total of 2 tablespoons of these oils daily.
Vegetables
All of them, whether fresh, pickled or cooked. Include them daily with every main meal - breakfast, lunch and dinner. The fiber in vegetables reduces the absorption of cholesterol from the intestines into the blood. Legumes, such as beans, soybeans, broad beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas, are particularly rich in fiber. Eat a minimum of 400 g of vegetables a day.
Oat flakes
They provide beta-glucans, the beneficial effect of which on the heart and the entire circulatory system has been proven by research. Beta-glucans are a type of dietary fiber. Its characteristic feature is that it dissolves in water and forms a jelly suspension in the intestines, which limits the absorption of cholesterol from the intestines into the blood. To get as much beta-glucans as possible, prepare porridge (not oatmeal, but bran). You can pour water or milk over them. Mixed with fresh fruit and the addition of seeds or nuts. Choose mountain oatmeal rather than instant. They have a lower glycemic index, so they satiate for longer. Eat oatmeal at least 2-3 times a week.
Apples and citrus e.g. oranges, grapefruits, mandarins
It is the richest fruit in pectin, which, like oatmeal beta-glucans, is a soluble dietary fiber.
Pisces
Eat oily sea fish 1-2 times a week, e.g. salmon, halibut, herring, mackerel, sardines. The omega-3 fatty acids present in these fish are anti-inflammatory and lower "bad cholesterol". Therefore, the diet of people with high cholesterol should keep them in mind.
What else is worth including in the menu for high cholesterol?
What else is worth eating to lower cholesterol is plant sterols. These are compounds that are naturally present in plant foods. They can be found mainly in oils, sesame seeds, all kinds of nuts and wheat germ. Sterols lower the absorption of cholesterol from the gut into the blood and increase its excretion. Thus, they help to lower the level of cholesterol in the blood.
