Cholesterol is an important substance without which a person cannot live. But you must always remember that it can be both “good” and “bad”. And if it is necessary to fight for raising the level of the first, since it is only beneficial, then the second, on the contrary, should be reduced. What products will help with this, told general practitioner, nutritionist Anna Roenkova.
An increase in cholesterol levels carries a certain danger, the expert notes. “When a substance circulates in the blood, if it is in excess, the adhesion of its molecules begins. Cholesterol accumulates in the arteries, plaques form. They impede blood flow, making it difficult, leading to a narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels. Against this background, the tissues and organs of the human body cease to receive enough oxygen for their nutrition. In addition, when the plaques disintegrate, blood clots begin to form. Their danger has long been known – they clog the bloodstream and lead both to serious illnesses (for example, thrombosis), and can cause death, ”Anna Roenkova warns.
Therefore, it is so important to monitor your health and regularly check your blood cholesterol levels. In addition, it is worth reconsidering your approach to nutrition, as food can provoke the growth of “bad” cholesterol. But there are also those products that help the “good” grow up.
What foods should be excluded?
Among the products that increase the level of cholesterol in the blood, says nutritionist Roenkova, include a whole list:
- Meat and products from it – they contribute to high cholesterol levels due to the fact that they are a source of saturated fats. Therefore, experts recommend avoiding fat, pork, fatty beef and lamb, fatty poultry in your diet in order to avoid a jump in cholesterol. If not completely eliminated, then at least significantly reduce the number. It is also necessary to remove sausages, smoked meats, sausages and minced meat dishes from the diet. It is better to make a diet with a selection of meat dishes under the supervision of a doctor who will tell you what and in what quantities can be left and how best to cook it so that it is more beneficial. After all, you need the right ratio of products as a percentage, which will naturally keep cholesterol under control.
- Dairy products – here you should understand that you should not completely abandon them, but you need to approach their inclusion in the diet correctly. It is necessary to approach dosed to the use of butter, sour cream, cottage cheese. It’s not worth it, the nutritionist recommends, to eat cottage cheese seasoned with sour cream at one meal, drink coffee with milk, and add more pancakes with cottage cheese for lunch, and cheesecakes with sour cream in the evening.
- Sweet without measure – simple carbohydrates, sugar and other ingredients that can be used to prepare them can be harmful. All baking, in principle, is not very good for the health of blood vessels.
What foods should be included in the diet?
There are foods that, on the contrary, should be included in your diet in order to improve blood vessels – this is a whole range that helps lower cholesterol and increase HDL (high-density lipoprotein, they are also “good” cholesterol). Among them, Anna Roenkova lists:
- Soft-boiled eggs, but the quantity is important here – you should use them no more than a couple of pieces a day.
- Vegetable unrefined oils – linseed, olive and others.
- Fish – it should be used more.
- Nuts.
- Avocado.
- Soluble fiber in large quantities is bran, apples and pears, carrots, barley, plums, beans.
These products are only useful. But the main thing to remember is that everything should be in moderation. If you use products from the “prohibited list”, then this is also allowed, but in moderation. It is also important to monitor the ratio of products – naturally, those that are undesirable should not prevail in the diet, sums up Anna Roenkova.
