Food
Elevated blood cholesterol is one of the most serious risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
By itself, cholesterol is not dangerous for the body and is even necessary for a number of vital processes. However, an excess amount of this substance is able to settle on the walls of blood vessels and clog them.
Therefore, for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, experts recommend not to get involved in cholesterol-rich foods.
How much
The human body needs about 1000 mg of cholesterol daily.
Most of it - about 80 percent - is produced by the body itself. A person receives the rest of cholesterol from animal products: meat and dairy products.
Vegetable food: vegetables, fruits or cereal products - does not contain cholesterol at all.
Experts recommend that healthy people consume no more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day.
High Cholesterol Products
1. Most cholesterol is found in fatty meats - beef and pork. Try not to buy fatty brisket, neck, chop, chops and other pieces of carcass, which contain a large amount of fat.
Remember that a large amount of hidden fat is found even in pork fillets. A good alternative to this product can be lean chicken and turkey.
2. Avoid offal such as liver, lung and brains. One serving (about 200 g) may contain most of the daily cholesterol.
3. The content of saturated fats and cholesterol in processed meat is increased: ham, sausages, sausages, canned meat and smoked meats.
Even boiled sausage without fat speck contains hidden fats. In addition, these products have too much salt.
4. A lot of cholesterol in fatty poultry - goose or duck. Refuse to fry these products in fat, cut off excess fat and choose dark meat from the breast or legs of the bird, after removing the skin from them.
5. Eggs are often blamed for excess cholesterol. However, in comparison with fatty meats or smoked meats, this substance in eggs contains so much.
Nevertheless, experts recommend limiting consumption of one egg per day or prepare meals using only proteins. Absolutely to refuse consumption of eggs you should not: they contain many useful substances.
6. Large suppliers of cholesterol - butter, cheeses, sour cream and fatty yogurts, which usually also contain a large amount of added sugar.
Nutritionists recommend to use skim or low-fat milk and other dairy products containing not more than two and a half percent of fat.
7. The lion's share of cholesterol enters the human body along with convenience foods, industrial baked goods, desserts and junk food. These foods contain trans fats, as well as a large amount of saturated fat.
How to refuse cholesterol rich foods?
1. Remove everything from the kitchen that contains saturated fats: margarine, convenience foods, sausages and preserves, snacks and biscuits. If these products are not at home, you can not eat them.
2. At the grocery store, remember the "perimeter rule". Usually, fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and low-fat dairy products are located along the walls, and processed foods, canned goods and convenience foods are in the internal aisles of the store. You should literally "walk the wall."
3. Every time buy two fresh vegetables or fruits that you have not tried yet or have not taken for a long time. Apples, berries, bananas, carrots, broccoli - an important source of fiber, which reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood.
4. Carefully read the composition of the product. The high content of fats and calories suggests that the food in the package, which may contain too much cholesterol.
5. Make friends with unsaturated fats. They are not only rich in beneficial vitamins and omega-3, but also lower cholesterol levels. These fats are in nuts, saltwater fish, olive oil and sunflower seeds.
6. Include whole grain foods in your diet. Fiber, which they contain, helps to bind cholesterol, which prevents it from entering the blood.
7. Do not refuse meat. Learn to choose it correctly. Lean chicken, turkey and lean beef will do. You can also vary the diet of marine fish, which contain unsaturated fats.
8. Make fruits and vegetables an important part of your diet. They are very low in fat, they are low in calories and contain a large amount of vitamins.
The most important
To avoid excess cholesterol in the diet, choose lean meat, vegetable products and discard processed meat.