3 steps to lower cholesterol
1. Switch from “bad” fats to “good” ones
So what foods contain “bad” fats? Which ones should be limited in the diet, and which should be removed from the diet?
“Bad” fats
This group includes only foods of animal origin, vegetable products do not contain either saturated fats or pure cholesterol.
Saturated fats (should be limited). They are found in fatty dairy products (butter, sour cream, full-fat yogurt and cottage cheese), in animal products (especially in lard and chicken skin). Saturated fats increase bad cholesterol levels.
However, saturated fats are high in fat-soluble vitamins, so they aren’t bad, strictly speaking. But it would be wise to limit their consumption.
Foods high in cholesterol (should also be limited): meat, poultry, especially offal and offal (brains, liver, heart, kidneys), yolks and shellfish.
Trans fats are found in “store” products: in pastries (cookies, muffins, donuts, crackers), in margarine. Trans fats are also found in food prepared in fast food restaurants due to the use of hydrolyzed cooking oil. This type of fat appeared thanks to the chemical industry and is much more dangerous than saturated fats. It not only reduces the amount of good cholesterol, but also increases the level of bad.
“Good” fats
Unsaturated vegetable fats and fish oil can be called good. They are considered good because they reduce the level of bad cholesterol. But this does not mean that you can now pour plenty of vegetable oil on salads. Remember, fat is high in calories and excess unsaturated fat will turn into saturated fat stores in our adipose tissue.
2. Add Fiber to Your Diet
The main products rich in fiber are primarily the stems and grains of plants – in fact, it is fiber (or “dietary fiber”) that forms their dense structure. Fiber is soluble, which is able to be digested by the human stomach and insoluble. Soluble fiber is especially beneficial as it binds excess cholesterol and is excreted from the body in the stool.
Add fruits like apples, grapes, pears to your diet and eat them with the skin on. Cereals: buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, lentils are rich in fiber.
3. Add Regular Workouts
In order for cholesterol levels to return to normal, you need to add physical activity. They will help to reduce weight, and along with weight and cholesterol levels. Also, exercise raises the level of good cholesterol.
An interesting study published in the Journal of Atherosclerosis, in which blood was taken from marathon runners before and after a marathon, found that the level of bad cholesterol in the blood of runners after the marathon was higher than before the marathon. Thus, long-term high-intensity exercise turns on fat metabolism, that is, it forces the body to use fat for energy.
“It is by the end of the second hour of continuous running that the glycogen stores of the liver and muscles are depleted. The task of long training sessions of 2 hours + 10-40 minutes in aerobic mode is to stimulate the production of enzymes that metabolize fats. This is necessary so that fats are included in energy metabolism long before glycogen depletion. I note that two hours is two hours, and not a certain number of kilometers. You do not need to run specifically 20 or 30 km to start these processes, namely two hours plus 10-40 minutes in aerobic mode