Diet For High Cholesterol And Triglycerides
To lower cholesterol and triglycerides, you don’t need to follow a cholesterol-free diet, just avoid consuming the ideal amount of fat and avoiding excess sugar hidden in the diet.
Nutrition is an evolving science, and cholesterol and triglyceride diets have evolved with recent science. This article will dispel some myths and give you some guidelines for lowering cholesterol and triglycerides with a healthy diet.
Cholesterol And Triglyceride Diet
Is there a diet that can lower cholesterol? How can I lower my cholesterol?
To lower cholesterol and triglycerides, you don’t have to follow a cholesterol-free diet, just don’t consume any desirable fats and avoid having too much sugar hidden in your diet, as discussed below.
Cholesterol is a fat that is present in all cells of our body as part of the cell membrane. Since cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D, bile salts, sex hormones, and cortisol, it is unrealistic to follow a cholesterol-free diet.
Hypercholesterolemia affects nearly 70% of people between the ages of 35 and 64. Hypercholesterolemia occurs when cholesterol levels exceed 200 mg/dl. The most common causes are the following
- Hereditary or familial hypercholesterolemia: some members of the same family have the disease; the disease is passed from parent to child.
- Poor dietary habits: a diet rich in saturated fats, sugar, and red meat.
- A sedentary lifestyle.
- Cholesterol does not circulate freely in the blood; it needs a carrier – lipoproteins.
- Bad cholesterol or LDL: circulates in the blood and is processed by the cells. When its levels are high, it accumulates in the blood vessels and forms atheromatous plaques that block the blood vessels. Atheromatous plaque causes the walls of blood vessels to harden and thicken, impeding blood flow and increasing blood pressure.
- Good cholesterol or HDL: moves toward the liver to be destroyed. The higher it is, the more cholesterol the body is removing from the blood.
- Total cholesterol: The sum of HDL and LDL cholesterol.
Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood that increases in proportion to the saturated fat you consume in your diet. A triglyceride diet is best done in conjunction with exercise because the triglyceride levels in the blood drop more quickly.
It has been scientifically proven that diet has a significant impact on the development of cardiovascular disease. When cholesterol and triglyceride levels exceed what is the normal limit, they are deposited on the walls of the arteries, and from there begins the risk of developing hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart attacks and thrombosis. In women, during menopause, the cardiovascular protection is less pronounced and the risk of all three increases exponentially compared to men. Therefore, it is important to test annually and follow a diet that attempts to normalize cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Blood cholesterol levels are important, but the most dangerous type of cholesterol is oxidized cholesterol. Therefore, you need to increase your intake of antioxidant foods to prevent cholesterol from breaking down and easily falling off the artery walls, causing blood clots.
Too Much Sugar Can Increase Cholesterol
More and more people are skipping fried foods and bacon in order to lower their cholesterol and triglycerides. This may be due to the fact that they eat a lot of bread or only fruit. Carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, cereals, fruit, honey, table sugar, fruit juices, soft drinks ……) . When you consume too much, your blood sugar rises, activating insulin, a hormone that regulates appetite and fat storage. In addition, the liver produces more fatty acids and cholesterol because it is “stressed by excessive carbohydrate metabolism”. In addition, too much insulin inhibits the enzyme responsible for breaking down triglycerides.
Hidden sugars in foods can lead to overweight and elevated cholesterol levels. You need to learn to read the labels on packages. In the chart below, you can see some of the products you eat every day that contain hidden sugars.
The first step to lowering cholesterol and triglycerides is to lose 10% of your body weight, follow a consistent diet, which is a very effective cholesterol and triglyceride diet, and exercise every day.
Cholesterol Vs Triglyceride Diet
In general, although it is not necessary to reduce the intake of fat, the quality of fat is appropriate, as is the preparation of the fat-burning program. It should contain monounsaturated fatty acids (olive oil) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (seed oils, fatty fish, nuts, wheat germ) and reduced saturated fats (present in red meat, margarine, industrial sweets, cooked foods, and some vegetables such as palm). A consistent diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables that increase HDL (good cholesterol) and less omega-6 and saturated fats that increase LDL and bad cholesterol.
