A diet with high cholesterol by itself usually does not give the desired effect, it helps only in combination with taking medications. 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 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 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, 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 the level of cholesterol rises.
Transportation of cholesterol molecules to tissues is carried out 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 its molecules to tissues. With elevated levels of LDL, excess of this substance is deposited, forming plaques, which leads to cardiovascular diseases.
- Very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). They are considered the most dangerous type, as they transport fats such 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 it is "bad" cholesterol that he needs to reduce.
Diet Basics
A hypocholesterol diet with a high level of cholesterol is observed throughout 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 exclude it completely, the situation will lead to neurological and endocrine disorders.
Basic principles of dietary nutrition:
- Eating at least 400 g of fruits and vegetables daily. Their share can even be increased. Starchy vegetables like potatoes and pumpkin are allowed to be consumed, but in limited quantities, not more than the physiologically acceptable norm. Their cholesterol load is low, but they contain carbohydrates.
- The use of vegetable protein at the expense of legumes, if there are no kidney diseases.
- Fractional nutrition, in which the total amount of food is divided into 5-6 meals. This will help ensure drainage of the gallbladder.
- Limit salt intake to 5 g per day.
- Exclusion of pickled, salty and smoked foods, sweet soda.
- Sugar consumption at the level of 5 tsp. in a day. The amount is considered in total, with all drinks and dishes.
- Body weight control.
If necessary, you can spend vegetable, apple or kefir fasting days. When overweight, start with a cottage cheese or fruit and vegetable low-cholesterol diet, and then move on to an anti-cholesterol nutrition plan.
Prohibited Products
The standard LDL-lowering diet limits or completely eliminates fat-rich foods. The prohibited ones include:
- fatty meats and fish;
- offal;
- cream and fat milk;
- margarines.
Only due to this, you can reduce cholesterol levels by 10-15%. Sometimes it is not even necessary to follow a diet. It is enough to refuse the listed products, include in the menu for every day more vegetables and fruits, fish and seafood, vegetable fats.
When compiling a diet, it is important to remember that in order to lower cholesterol, it is not necessary to completely exclude fats. 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 not so significant. Vegetable oils should also be used with caution, not 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 proportion of complex carbohydrates to provide the body with energy.
To reduce the content of fats and cholesterol in the daily menu, you must follow the following rules:
- fat is cut off from meat, skin is necessarily removed from poultry;
- vegetables are never cooked with meat, as they absorb fats;
- any recipe is adapted to this diet, reducing the fat content in it (for example, they take sour cream with a lower fat content);
- rice dishes, mashed potatoes, pasta are prepared without butter.
You should also use non-stick cookware to avoid frying.
Approved Products
The hypocholesterolemic diet allows the following foods listed:
- Lean meats and fish. The most useful is the fish of the cold seas, which contains omega-3 acids that affect 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, as they are high in vitamins, folic acid, magnesium, and arginine. However, they contain a lot of 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 talking only about high quality goods, for example, you can eat tofu.
- Foods containing 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 in the form of toasts. Tea is also included in the daily diet. But to reduce potential harm, it should be weak and with a minimum 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.
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, which is involved in the processes of digestion. It forms a highly 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 marmalade is also made from them.
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 out of the fruit juice with pulp.
- Coarse white fibers are cut from the peel and cut into thin strips.
- Raw materials are placed in a saucepan.
- Add juice and water.
- Boil for 12-20 minutes.
- Sugar is added and kept over low heat until the mixture reaches a viscous state. When it cools down, it will turn into 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 varieties 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 stalk of celery - 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 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 taken out of the soup, whipped in a blender, returned back to 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 due to the pectin contained in it. From it you can cook meatballs.
Necessary:
- medium carrots - 3 pcs. ;
- eggs - 3 pcs. ;
- flour - about 5-6 tbsp. l. with a 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 a non-stick frying pan without oil or in the oven, turning over several times.
sweet pepper salad
Sweet pepper helps to strengthen blood vessels and remove cholesterol. You can make a healthy salad out of it.
For this you need:
- pepper - 2 pcs. ;
- red onion - 2 pcs. ;
- greens - to taste;
- vegetable oil - for dressing.
Cooking:
- Cut vegetables.
- Sprinkle with herbs.
- Filled with vegetable oil.
Baked eggplant with ham
These vegetables contain a lot of 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 experiment with any familiar recipes, changing the ingredients in them for more healthy ones.
diet for high cholesterol in women
With a normal level of cholesterol in the blood, there is no need for an anti-cholesterol diet, it can even be harmful. Therefore, it is necessary to know the indicators at which such nutrition is indicated. For women, the norm is reflected 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 in accordance with the results. If the "bad" cholesterol is higher than normal, an anti-cholesterol diet is necessary. It has been followed for a long time. Depending on the state of health, it may be necessary for a lifetime.
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 take into account age and the presence of other chronic diseases. For example, women over 60 should limit meat in favor of fish and dairy products. This is especially true for those who suffer from arthritis and arthrosis, since the meat contains substances that promote inflammation of the joints. With high sugar, you need to limit carbohydrates.
Features 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 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 | 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 for a man might look 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 associated with the fact that physical activity gradually decreases, so less protein is needed than with intense training.
Age features 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 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 need to maintain the consumption of lean meat 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 decreases.
It is recommended to reduce meat consumption to 2 times a week, include more fish dishes in the diet. Instead of coffee, it is better to drink herbal or ginger tea.
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 completely, 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, 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 has severe obesity, a low-carb program is needed.
Therefore, sweets, pastries, some fruits (grapes and dates) are eliminated from the diet, leaving only healthy carbohydrates contained in cereals, vegetables, etc.