Hypercholesterolemia is a disease of more importance today. It has been shown that having high blood cholesterol is a direct cause of cardiovascular disease. People with high cholesterol have no symptoms, so regular analytical control to see how blood levels are necessary. Cholesterol is considered to be high when begins total cholesterol is above 200 mg / dl. The situation is more serious when cholesterol reaches values above 250 mg / dl. It is a disease that should be taken very seriously, because although in the short term is not a threat, over the years the mortality is very high. In this article, I will propose solutions to reduce your cholesterol levels through healthy eating.
What is cholesterol in few words
Cholesterol is a fat molecule necessary for life found in the blood and the cells of animals and people. Blood is an aqueous medium, therefore, a fat and cholesterol can not move freely through it. It is for this reason that cholesterol travels “drive” to navigate within the body. The “cars” are actually lipoproteins. Depending on the type of lipoprotein we distinguish between “good” cholesterol and “bad” cholesterol. What does it mean?
– LDL cholesterol
LDL is the “car” that drives cholesterol in the blood to make it available to the cells. When a cell needs cholesterol, LDL takes it at their disposal.
– HDL cholesterol
HDL is the “car” that takes back unused or excess cholesterol towards the liver to be metabolized (destroyed). For this reason HDL is best when higher.
– Total cholesterol
The sum of HDL and LDL cholesterol and 20% of Triglycerides (fat in blood). It is recommended that does not exceed 200 mg / dl, although this alone does not indicate everything you need to see how high is cholesterol. It is always necessary to assess the LDL and HDL cholesterol.
For more information about cholesterol levels check the following links:
Dangers of having high blood cholesterol
The problem of elevated LDL cholesterol in blood comes when there is a lot more than the cells needed, then it has to accumulate within the arteries. When this happens we talk about the formation of “plaque”. This causes the artery walls more rigid and thicker, making it hard for blood to flow and causing an increase in blood pressure. If the plaque continues to grow you can get to plug the blood vessel and cause cell death (necrosis) of the tissues that have stopped receiving blood. Another danger is the formation of thrombus. Thrombus are pieces of atheroma that are released and begin to travel through the blood. When a thrombus reaches a thin and narrow artery, it obstruct it. This is what happens when someone has a stroke (cerebral stroke or embolism).
Undoubtedly one of the major consequences of high blood cholesterol is myocardial infarction or heart attack. It means that one of the vessels clogged is a coronary artery.
A sample diet to lower cholesterol
- CholesterolMenu.com recommends to remove from the diet all kinds of foods high in saturated fats, such as bakery products , and be very careful with foods high in cholesterol such as eggs and red meat.
- Ingesting large amounts of vegetables and fruit, as they will help to significantly reduce levels of bad cholesterol.
- Eating foods rich in fiber helps getting rid of excess cholesterol. Foods like eggplant or apple are perfect.
- Oily fish, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids called Omega 3, has been shown to greatly reduce cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular diseases. The most recommended are salmon and sardines.
- The nuts such as walnuts or almonds, in moderate amounts, are ideal against cholesterol.
- Eat foods rich in phytosterols that inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine, for example, oats or olive oil.
- Eat vegetables a lot, because they are high in phytochemicals, are directly involved in lowering cholesterol and preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Perhaps most difficult is to apply all these tips in our daily lives. So I’m going to put you a sample 7-day menu advisable to lower cholesterol levels.
Monday
- Breakfast: a bowl of whole grain cereals with skim milk, an apple.
- Mid-morning: skimmed yogurt with a handful of nuts.
- Lunch: grilled vegetables, grilled beef fillet, an orange.
- Snack: coffee with skim milk, two integral biscuits with turkey ham.
- Dinner: vegetable puree, grilled sole, a pear.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: coffee with skim milk, whole wheat toast with a drizzle of olive oil and tomato slices.
- Mid-morning: a bowl of strawberries.
- Lunch: lentils, baked salmon, a slice of melon.
- Snack: liquid skimmed yogurt with four Graham crackers.
- Dinner: scrambled egg whites with garlic and shrimp, salad, peach.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: liquid skimmed yogurt, fruit salad, four Graham crackers.
- Mid-morning: two integral biscuits, a piece of cheese.
- Lunch: brown rice, tangerine roasted chicken.
- Snack: coffee with skim milk, four Graham crackers.
- Dinner: zucchini with grilled chicken, a banana.
Thursday
- Breakfast: wholegrain breakfast cereal with skim milk, a banana.
- Mid-morning: nonfat yogurt with fruit flavor and a handful of nuts, a slice of ham.
- Lunch: Stuffed eggplant gratin ground turkey covered with a slice of low-fat cheese, salad, Granada.
- Snack: an infusion, an integral biscuit with a piece of cheese.
- Dinner: vegetable stew, swordfish steak grilled with a baked potato, a bowl of cherries.
Friday
- Breakfast: coffee with skim milk, toast bread with a splash of olive oil and a slice of ham.
- Mid-morning: a handful of nuts, four slices of pineapple.
- Lunch: salad of white beans with a can of natural tuna and green olives, roasted chicken, a bowl of strawberries.
- Snack: an infusion, nonfat yogurt.
- Dinner: Whole wheat pasta with tomato and ground chicken, salad.
Saturday
- Breakfast: wholegrain breakfast cereal with skim milk, a slice of watermelon.
- Mid-morning: liquid yogurt three Graham crackers.
- Lunch: green beans with boiled potatoes, grilled steak, apricot.
- Snack: orange juice, two integral biscuits with skim-milk cheese.
- Dinner: Turkey skewers with tomato, onion and green pepper. Baked apple.
Sunday
- Breakfast: coffee with skim milk, whole wheat toast with fresh cheese and a drizzle of honey.
- Mid-morning: orange juice, a stick of whole grains.
- Lunch: paella with chicken and shrimp. Low-fat yogurt.
- Snack: infusion. Fruit salad.
- Dinner: artichokes with garlic, baked hake. Peach.