Diet To Control High Cholesterol

Mediterranean diet is the perfect sample diet to control high cholesterol. In the following paragraphs, you will get to know why people following this diet are at lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

More than a diet, the Mediterranean diet is a lifestyle itself. For more, the dietary pattern of Mediterranean diet is closely matching the dietary guidelines advised by American Heart Association.

It is called Mediterranean diet because it is mainly consumed by people who live in countries around the Mediterranean Sea, like countries of Middle East, Greece, Spain, Italy and Albania. Below I have drawn the Mediterranean diet pyramid, which will give you a clear idea about the meal planning in this diet.

Mediterranean diet as a diet to control high cholesterol consists of increased intake of fresh vegetables, fruits, and cereals. The high intake of seafood (e.g. fish) and olive oil (monounsaturated fat) in Mediterranean style of diet minimizes consumed amounts of saturated fats and trans-fats in your body. Red meats is eaten rarely (once in the month).

Red vine is one component, but for my opinion, since alcohol brings more harm than good to your healthy, I don’t believe in its supposed benefits. Vinegar can be a nice substitute to sprinkle your salads or dishes.

Be careful on the total calories intake, because if you exceed the foods (components of this diet), you may exceed the amount calories you need daily. As your main goal of following this diet is to control high cholesterol, you must not eat more than 2400 calories daily.

Mediterranean diet is your right choice for a diet to control high cholesterol, because it combines most types and quantities of healthy foods, including:

1- Consumption of smaller amounts of saturated fats and more amounts of unsaturated fats (mono and poly).

In Mediterranean diet, olive oil (monounsaturated fat) is usually used for cooking instead of butter and migraine.

If you strictly follow this diet, your daily fat intake will be 1-2 tablespoon full (30-45 gm) of olive oil.

Saturated fats are only eaten in small amounts daily in the form of cheese and yoghourt.

Saturated fats and trans-fats increase LDL “Bad cholesterol” levels and decrease HDL “Good cholesterol” levels, thus raising total cholesterol levels in your blood.

2- Eating fewer quantities of meat, eggs (up to 4 eggs) and chickens once weekly.Do you know that the egg yolk of one egg contains 213 grams of cholesterol?

3-Having more seafood (such as fish and shellfish) 2-3 times weekly (each of a serving of 100 grams).

All fish contains omega-3 fatty acids which plays an important role in lowering triglycerides level and raises HDL levels in your blood. Eventually, it lowers total blood cholesterol levels.

Furthermore, omega-3 causes plaques of cholesterol to be less adherent to the walls of your arteries.

4- You can eat snacks of nuts and legumes; because they contain low fats and they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

5- Daily moderate eating of all types of cereals (like pasta, rice, and whole grain bread).

At the end, the choice is in your hand. If you want to keep healthy, and resolve not only your cholesterol problems but also diabetes and other health problems, give a try to the Mediterranean diet.

Good luck! Stay firm. Keep healthy.

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