What is the cholesterol diet?
Hypercholesterolemia is one of the most important diseases today. High blood cholesterol has been shown to be a direct cause of cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol is considered to be high when total cholesterol is above 200 mg/dl, a situation that worsens when it exceeds 250 mg/dl. Some of the most common causes are genetic determinants (the body manufactures more cholesterol than desired and affects many members of the same family), poor eating habits (diet rich in saturated fats and sugars, and poor in fruits and vegetables), obesity and/or diabetes, smoking and lack of physical activity. Nutrition and Dietetics specialists propose diets to reduce cholesterol levels with a healthy diet. A balanced diet, together with adequate physical exercise, improves health in all senses and, in particular, the patient’s cholesterol.
A healthy and balanced diet will help regulate blood cholesterol levels.
Why is it done?
When cholesterol is elevated, a lot of care must be taken with the diet. The first thing to correct is overweight. Subsequently, it is necessary to eat foods that favor the reduction of cholesterol levels in the blood. Food plays a very important role, since there are foods that contain a lot of cholesterol (those of animal origin and normally rich in saturated fat), while there are others without cholesterol, such as vegetables, legumes, white meat, white fish or skimmed dairy products, among others. In any case, a cholesterol diet must be balanced, tailored to the patient by the nutritionist, who will study the nutrients and vitamins that the patient needs.
What does it consist of?
As a general rule, a cholesterol diet should be rich in:
- Fiber, since it decreases the absorption of cholesterol by the intestine.
- Saturated fatty acids, since they increase the good cholesterol or HDL.
- Antioxidants, especially vitamin C and E.
In addition, you should:
- Eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, consuming 5 servings a day.
- Consume more fish than meat. Red meat should be eaten a maximum of 1 day a week, white meat 3 days a week, white fish at least 4 days a week and oily fish 2 days a week.
- Eliminate fatty sausages.
- Moderate egg consumption (4-6 eggs per week).
- Eliminate saturated fats: pasta, cookies and pastries.
- Reduce the consumption of sugars as much as possible.
- Eat legumes and whole grains.
- Avoid fried foods and fats from frying.
Preparation for the cholesterol diet
The person who should prepare the cholesterol diet is the specialist in Nutrition and Dietetics. Often cholesterol “does not come alone”, and is accompanied by weight problems and other diseases (high blood pressure, high uric acid, diabetes, etc.). It is therefore advisable to personalize the diet as much as possible, since the specialist will take into account everything the patient needs before, during and after the procedure.
Post-procedure care
The basic care after a cholesterol diet should be to maintain the healthy habits acquired. The aim of any cholesterol diet is to reduce blood levels and, in addition, to try to improve any associated pathology (diabetes, obesity, arterial hypertension, etc.), in order to make the patient’s life healthier.