How To Improve Your Health With A Low Cholesterol Diet

Cholesterol has a bad reputation. But Our body It is needed to make hormones and digest fatty foods. Too much cholesterol But it can be dangerous. It accumulates inside our arteries and causes an occlusion that can lead to heart disease and stroke.

Our liver makes the cholesterol our body needs, Animal food, Julia Denison, Clinical Nutrition Coordinator at Maggie Women’s Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said today.

The problem is that many of us have too much cholesterol. According to nearly one in three adults in the United States, 7% of children aged 6 to 19 have high cholesterol, according to the report. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

You’ve heard that there are two types of cholesterol. LDL (considered unhealthy) and HDL (considered healthy). What is a healthy cholesterol level?

desirable Cholesterol levelAccording to CDC

• Total cholesterol: less than 200 mg / dL
• LDL cholesterol: less than 100 mg / dL
• HDL cholesterol: 60 mg / dL or more

It is important to check if your cholesterol is high, as you may not notice the symptoms. Adults should be tested for levels every 4-6 years, children should be tested at ages 9-11, 17-21. People with a family history of heart disease, diabetes, or high cholesterol should be tested more often.

Samantha Cassetti, a nutrition and weight loss expert practicing virtual nutritional counseling in New York City, said she has more control over LDL levels than what she eats when it comes to what she eats. (motion And No smoking Helps raise good HDL levels. )

create Food choice It helps lower cholesterol, so you can focus on two things. What you don’t eat, what you eat.

Restrictions: Foods high in saturated fats raise cholesterol levels. “We want to limit the foods in animal foods (red meats, whole milk dairy products, fried foods, oils that are solid at room temperature),” said Denison.

Some food like egg Shrimp is high in cholesterol, so it is badly wrapped. But they don’t affect your cholesterol levels that much, Castassety added.

What to choose: “Certain foods actually help lower cholesterol levels,” said Katsetti. High fiber foods are a good choice because fiber binds cholesterol and prevents it from circulating in your bloodstream.

High fiber foods that help lower cholesterol include:

• Oats
• Fruits such as apples, grapes, strawberries, oranges and grapefruits
• beans
• nuts

To build the basis of a cholesterol-lowering diet, Cassetti suggests filling 75% of the plate with botanical foods such as beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

“you Choose healthier foods There are two ways to improve your heart’s health over the less useful options,” Cassetty said. For example, choosing seafood over lean meat yields healthier omega-3 fatty acids from seafood and reduces saturated fat from meat.

Cassetty shares a Mediterranean-style menu and is great for lowering cholesterol, she said. “It contains legumes, whole grains, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables,” she said. In addition, the fiber is 34 grams.

In a pot that was sprayed Avocado Add oil and heat chopped apples, 1/2 cup oats, 1 teaspoon maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes and stir well. Spoon the cooked mixture into 3/4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt.

Finely chop ½ cucumber, 1/4 tomato, 1/4 green pepper, 1 cup kale leaf, mix 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon Italian or Greek seasoning. Add 1/2 cup canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed) and 2 tablespoons of feta cheese.

Mix 1 cup of cooked whole-grain pasta with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of sliced ​​green olives with sun-dried tomatoes, and 1/2 can of drained canned tuna. Serve on top of 2 cups of arugula.

• 1/4 cup walnut grape
• 1/2 oz dark chocolate, 2 tbsp shelled pistachios