Cholesterol is a blessing and a curse at the same time. If you can not maintain the standard level, you are probably going to suffer from heart diseases. When you seek advice from the experts, most of them suggest maintaining cholesterol levels with a proper diet.
No matter when you start, you can lower your LPD by following a high cholesterol diet. This diet plan mainly adds more fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats to your meals. At the same time, you need to eliminate sugar and other unhealthy elements from your diet.
If you are looking for a high cholesterol meal plan, then do not forget to read this article to the end.
High Cholesterol Diet Plan
A person can have high cholesterol for various reasons. For example,
- Family history
- Overweight
- Unhealthy diet
- Poor choice of living
- Smoking
If you have high cholesterol, do not freak out. The condition can be easily controlled by maintaining a healthy diet. It is not necessary that you have to follow a particular diet plan. There are many options open for you.
Here are the top 5 high cholesterol diet plan for you:
1. Vegetarian or vegan diet
If you choose your meals wisely, a vegan or vegetarian diet is enough to lower your cholesterol level. As this diet does not include any meat, so there is less chance of increasing the LDL level. A study indicates that the people who eat meat have a higher chance of getting heart diseases.
2. Mediterranean diet
This diet resembles the meal plan of the people around the Mediterranean sea. People of that area take fruits, fishes, vegetables, meats, whole grains, etc. This meal plan is quite popular as it is tasty, flexible, and helps you lower your cholesterol level and lose weight. The experts also claim this diet as a healthy one.
3. DASH diet
This diet plan mainly cuts off your sodium, sugar, sweets, and red meat consumption. In this diet you are allowed to eat the following items:
-
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Lean meat
- Low-fat milk products
- Fishes
The best thing about the DASH diet is it works faster than you can think. Most people claim that they have observed the progress in just 2 weeks.
4. The engine 2 diet
This diet is specially customized for athletes and firefighters. You will get a variety of foods including fruits, veggies, lean meats, fishes, and whole grain. But you have to cut off processed foods and dairy products.
5. Dean Ornish diet
This diet has been designed at different levels. It will limit your consumption of animal fats and other junk items. The experts claim that this high cholesterol diet can lower the cholesterol level by 30%. They also suggest that the Dean Ornish diet can lower the risk of having heart diseases.
This diet can be a bit hard for beginners. But there is no loss in trying, right?
Besides these 5 diet plans, there are some other high cholesterol meal plans too. For example,
-
- TLC
- Mayo clinic diet
- Flexitarian diet
High Cholesterol Foods
Cholesterol is basically two types, low-density lipoprotein or LDL, and high-density lipoprotein or HDL. The LDL is referred to as the bad cholesterol and the HDL is the good one. The food items that raise your LDL level are known as high cholesterol foods.
Mainly 3 types of fats can affect your cholesterol level. Such as:
-
- Saturated fat
- Trans fat
- Unsaturated fat
Saturated fat is not good for your health. This will increase the production of bad cholesterol and harm your health. The saturated fats are found in red meats and dairy products. On the other hand, unsaturated fats are good.
Particular foods enriched with unsaturated fats can increase the production of good lipoprotein. And the HDL will destroy the LDL, which will lower your overall cholesterol level. Nuts, fatty fishes, seeds are rich in unsaturated fats.
The most harmful fat for the human body is trans fat. This not only raises your bad cholesterol but also lowers the production of HDL. Any type of packaged foods, for example, cookies, donuts, crackers, or junk items are filled with trans fats.
The experts suggest limiting the daily consumption of trans and saturated food items. Such as:
-
- Pork
- Red meats
- Dairy goods
- Bakery items
- Lamb
- Poultry items
- Saturated oils
Is cheese high in cholesterol? I have seen people eating cheese every day as they think it is healthy. But what is the truth?
Cheese is enriched with protein and calcium, which is beneficial to health. But at the same time, cheese is high in saturated fats and salts. These elements can raise your bad cholesterol level. So, yes, eating cheese occasionally is okay. Eating it every day will lead to high blood pressure and cholesterol conditions.
Tips to improve cholesterol level
By now, you have understood the harmful effects of high cholesterol. It increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. You can control your cholesterol level by maintaining your diet and lifestyle. Here are some meal tips for you:
- Saturated fats are a curse if you have high cholesterol. You have to eliminate any source of saturated fats from your diet.
- In the previous section, I have discussed the dark side of trans fats. You must reduce the consumption of this fat. Cut off any bakery or dairy items from your diet.
- Eat foods that are rich in unsaturated fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids. The sea fishes, for example, mackerel, salmon contain a large amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Though some dairy items raise your cholesterol level, not the ones that contain whey protein. Those dairy products not only destroy your ad cholesterol but also lowers the overall cholesterol level.
- Add more soluble fibrous food items to your diet meal. These will reduce the absorption of bad cholesterol in your blood.
To lower your cholesterol, following a high cholesterol diet is the best option. Besides the diet, you have to do simple exercises every day. Also, quit your smoking habit if you have.
