A diet high in cholesterol alone does not usually give the desired effect, it only helps in combination with taking medication. However, without it, treatment will not work.
When compiling a menu, it is necessary to take into account not only the level of cholesterol in the blood of a person, but also his gender and age. You do not need to abandon such a diet, because in this case you will have to adhere to a therapeutic diet for the rest of your 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, it is involved in hormone production. This substance is present in every cell of the body, even in the brain. However, the situation is dangerous when the cholesterol level rises.
Cholesterol molecules are transported to tissues with the help of proteins. They are of several types:
- High-density lipoproteins (HDL). This is the so-called "good" cholesterol. They take in 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 deliver their molecules to tissues. With elevated LDL levels, too much of this substance is deposited, forming plaques, leading to cardiovascular diseases.
- Very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). They are considered the most dangerous type, because they transport fats as triglycerides from the liver to the tissues.
If you need a low-cholesterol diet, this means that a person has a high level of LDL and has to reduce "bad" cholesterol.
Basics of diet
A hypocholesterol diet with a high cholesterol level is observed for life. This is not a completely cholesterol-free diet, since it is impossible to remove all foods containing cholesterol from the diet. Recent studies have shown that if you leave it out altogether, neurological and endocrine disorders can develop.
Basic principles of nutrition:
- Eat at least 400 g of fruits and vegetables daily. Its share can even be increased. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes and pumpkin are allowed to be eaten, but in limited quantities, not exceeding the physiologically acceptable norm. Their cholesterol load is low, but they contain carbohydrates.
- Use vegetable protein at the expense of legumes, unless there are kidney diseases.
- Fractional nutrition, in which the total amount of food is divided into 5-6 meals. This will help ensure the drainage of the gallbladder.
- Limit salt intake to 5 g per day.
- Exclusion of pickled, salted and smoked foods, sweet soda.
- Consumption of sugar at the level of 5 tsp. in a day. The total volume is observed, with all drinks and dishes.
- Body weight control.
If necessary, you can spend fasting days of vegetables, apples or kefir. When you are overweight, start with cottage cheese or a low-cholesterol diet of fruits and vegetables, and then move on to an anti-cholesterol nutrition plan.
Prohibited Products
Limits the standard LDL-lowering diet or the complete elimination of foods rich in fat. Prohibited ones include:
- fatty meats and fish;
- scrap;
- fat cream and milk;
- margarines.
Only because of this, you can reduce cholesterol levels by 10-15%. Sometimes it is not even necessary to follow a diet. It is enough to reject the listed products, add more vegetables and fruits, fish and seafood, include vegetable fats in the menu for each day.
When compiling a diet, it is important to remember that, in order to lower cholesterol, fats need not be completely eliminated. Their proportion is determined individually, depending on the severity of the disease. Sometimes it has to be reduced by 20%, but usually the restrictions are less significant. Vegetable oils should also be used with caution, no more than usual, as they contribute to the accumulation of harmful substances in the body.
With high sugar levels, the amount of carbohydrates decreases. But with normal body weight and glucose levels, you can slightly increase the proportion of complex carbohydrates to provide energy to the body.
To reduce the fat and cholesterol content of the daily menu, you need to follow these rules:
- fat is cut from meat, it is necessary to peel poultry;
- vegetables are never cooked with meat, as they absorb fats;
- any recipe is suitable for this diet, reducing the fat content in it (for example, they take sour cream with a lower fat content);
- There are rice dishes, mashed potatoes, cooked pasta without butter.
You should also use non-stick cookware to avoid frying.
Approved Products
The hypocholesterolemic diet allows the following listed products:
- Lean meat and fish. The most useful is cold sea fish, which contains omega-3 acids that interfere with fat metabolism.
- Vegetable oils that bind and remove cholesterol (this is not only olive, but also soybean or rapeseed oil).
- Dairy products, including cottage cheese, sour cream, low-fat cheese.
- Nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, because they are high in vitamins, folic acid, magnesium, and arginine. However, they are high in calories, so you need to eat them in small quantities.
- Cereals - buckwheat, rice, oatmeal.
- Eggs - no more than 2-4 per week, depending on the state of health.
- Soy products. They are very useful, but we are only talking about quality goods, for example, you can eat tofu.
- The 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 eaten, but only made yesterday or in the form of toasts. Tea is also included in the daily diet. But to reduce the potential harm, it should be weak and with a minimum of sugar.
Dish recipes
The need to follow an anti-cholesterol diet does not mean that one is forced to eat the same dishes all the time.
Using foods that lower cholesterol, you can create a healthy and tasty menu for proper nutrition.
citrus marmalade
Citrus fruits contain a lot of pectin in the digestive processes. It creates a high 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 are also marmalade.
To prepare it take:
- orange - 1 pc;
- grapefruit - 1 pc;
- lemon - 1 pc;
- sugar - 0. 5 kg;
- water - 500 ml.
Cooking:
- Citrus fruits are washed, squeezed out of the fruit juice with a pulp.
- Coarse white fibers are cut from the skin and cut into thin strips.
- Raw materials are placed in a saucepan.
- Add juice and water.
- Boil for 12-20 minutes.
- Add sugar and keep on low heat until the mixture reaches a viscous state. When it cools down, it becomes a marmalade.
White bean soup with herbs
Legumes - lentils, beans, peas - contain dietary fiber that is useful for 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 dishes with legumes. For example, you can cook white bean soup with herbs.
For this you will need:
- dry white beans - 1 tbsp. ;
- bulb - 1 pc;
- carrots - 1 pc;
- chopped celery stem - 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 cooked for 2 hours. It turns out about 500-600 g of the finished product.
- Onions, carrots and celery are stewed for 8-10 minutes.
- Pour the beans into the pan and add the vegetables.
- Pour in broth and water.
- Add salt and spices.
- Bring to a boil.
- Leave on low heat for another 15 minutes.
- Half of the bean-vegetable mass is removed from the soup, whipped in a blender, back into the remaining ingredients.
It turns out a very thick soup, in 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 pcs;
- eggs - 3 pcs. ;
- flour - about 5-6 tbsp. l. with slide;
- salt - to taste.
Cooking:
- Carrots are crushed on a coarse grater.
- Add eggs, flour and salt.
- Everything is mixed.
- Cutlets are formed and cooked in an oil-free non-stick frying pan or oven, stirring repeatedly.
sweet pepper salad
Sweet pepper helps to strengthen blood vessels and remove cholesterol. You can make a healthy salad out of it.
For what you need:
- pepper - 2 pcs;
- red onion - 2 pcs;
- greens - to taste;
- vegetable oil - for dressing.
Cooking:
- Cut vegetables.
- Sprinkle with herbs.
- Fill with vegetable oil.
Eggplant baked with ham
These vegetables are high in potassium and normalize metabolism. You can cook eggplant baked with low-fat ham.
This will require:
- eggplant - 2 pcs;
- ham - 100 g;
- low-fat sour cream - 3 tbsp. l. ;
- grated cheese - 70-80 g;
- Greens - to taste.
Cooking:
- Eggplants are washed, cut in half, spread on a baking sheet.
- The ham is crushed, mixed with chopped herbs.
- Add sour cream.
- Spread the mixture over the eggplant and bake for 15 minutes.
You can try any familiar recipes, changing the ingredients in them for more useful ones.
diet for high cholesterol in women
With a normal level of cholesterol in the blood, an anti-cholesterol diet is not necessary, it can even be harmful. Therefore, it is necessary to know the indicators by which such nutrition is expressed. For women, the norm is shown in the following table:
| Age | Total cholesterol, mmol / l | "Bad" cholesterol, mmol / l | "Useful" cholesterol, mmol / l |
| 35-40 years old | Up to 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 | Up to 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 | Up to 7. 69 | Not higher than 5. 80 | Not higher than 2. 38 |
It is necessary to pass the appropriate blood tests and act on the results. If the "bad" cholesterol is higher than normal, an anti-cholesterol diet is needed. It has been followed for a long time. Depending on the state of health, it may be needed for life.
A sample menu for 7 days for women looks like this:
| Day 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 adjusted 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 arthritis, since the meat contains substances that promote inflammation in the joints. With high sugar, you need to limit carbohydrates.
Aspects of the anticholesterol diet in men
The table of cholesterol norms 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 exceeding 1. 60 |
| 40-45 years old | Up to 6. 94 | Not higher than 4. 82 | Not higher than 1. 73 |
| 45-50 years old | Up to 7. 15 | Not higher than 5. 23 | Not higher than 1. 66 |
| 50-55 years old | Up to 7. 17 | Not higher than 5. 10 | Not higher than 1. 63 |
| 55-60 years old | Up to 7. 15 | Not higher than 5. 26 | Not higher than 1. 84 |
| 60-65 years old | Up to 7. 15 | Not higher than 5. 44 | Not higher than 1. 91 |
A sample menu for a week might look like a guy like this:
| Day 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 features related to the fact that physical activity is gradually reduced, so less protein is required than intensive training.
Age aspects of nutrition
With increased bad cholesterol, you need to monitor your diet, but it is important to do this taking into account age - related characteristics.
Up to 40 years old
The metabolic rate is still high, but gradually it begins to decline. The main concern of the diet is to speed up the metabolic process.
At this time, animal protein is still important, so you need to keep lean meat consumption at least 3-4 times a week.
At 40-50 years old
At this time, hormonal changes begin in the body, the need for animal protein is reduced.
It is recommended to reduce meat consumption to 2 times a week, include more fish dishes in the diet. Instead of coffee, it is best to drink herbal tea or ginger.
At 50-60 years old
The rate 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 abandoned altogether, and sour milk products replaced.
After 60 years
Meat can not be eaten more than once a week, eggs - maximum 3 per week. The body may be deficient in iron and iodine, so it is recommended to eat more buckwheat, sea fish and other foods containing these substances.
diet for overweight
Dietary nutrition, starting from a certain age, is necessary for everyone, regardless of weight. But if a person is obese, a low-carbohydrate program is necessary.
Therefore, sweets, pastries, some fruits (grapes and dates) are eliminated from the diet, leaving only healthy carbohydrates contained in cereals, vegetables, etc.