Diet for high cholesterol in men - foods and meal options

Atherosclerosis as a consequence of high cholesterol levels is relevant for both sexes, but under 50 years of age this problem is less common among women. Men already from the age of 30 are at risk due to physiological characteristics and lifestyle. Nutrition plays a significant role in cholesterol metabolism, since a fifth of lipoproteins and triglycerides enter the body with food. The remaining 80% are of endogenous origin, so if the norm is exceeded, not only a diet for high cholesterol in men may be required, but also specific medications, a review of lifestyle, and giving up bad habits.

General rules

Elevated blood cholesterol for atherosclerosis .
This fat-like substance is necessary for the formation of enzymes , hormones and other things. However, when its metabolism is disrupted and its level in the blood is high, irreversible changes develop in the wall of blood vessels - atherosclerosis, which is dangerous for its complications ( heart attack , stroke , disruption of the blood supply to various organs).

Dangerous in terms of the development of atherosclerosis is considered to be an imbalance between fractions - low-density lipoproteins LDL and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). The former have an atherogenic effect and their high content is a risk of cardiovascular diseases. High-density (“good”) cholesterol is produced by the body. Moderate physical activity promotes its production and at the same time reduces the accumulation of harmful substances, which only comes from foods.

Nutritional therapy has been developed to reduce cholesterol levels. A diet for lowering blood cholesterol levels can be used in the treatment and prevention of diseases - it is suitable for people who monitor their health. Its goal is to improve lipid metabolism and weight loss. The main principle of this diet is the reduction of animal fat, which we get from meat, fatty dairy products, and simple carbohydrates. Polyunsaturated fats (their sources are vegetable oils and nuts), fiber and complex carbohydrates (we get them from vegetables, grains, bran) should predominate in the diet. It is the large amount of fiber that helps remove excess cholesterol from the gastrointestinal tract. The protein content in this therapeutic diet is within normal limits, and can be obtained by consuming a variety of legumes and lean meats.

The amount of bread is no more than 200 g per day; the use of dietary bran bread is also allowed. Salt and the amount of liquid consumed are limited to 1.2 liters. Dishes must be prepared without salt, but it is allowed to add salt to prepared food on the table. Vegetables are eaten raw or stewed, and it is better to boil (bake) meat and fish to reduce fat in the diet. It is important to eat plenty of vegetables at dinner. Daily calorie content is 1400-1500 kcal.

Basic principles of nutrition for high blood cholesterol:

• Grains, vegetables and fruits, containing complex carbohydrates and high amounts of fiber, should make up about 60% of the diet. You need to eat 400 g of vegetables daily (one third fresh) and 200 g of grain products.
• The predominance of vegetable oils in the diet.
• Moderate consumption of permitted dairy products.
• Diet for high blood cholesterol includes fish, chicken and turkey, which are the foods of choice, and lean beef should take second place in the diet.
• The amount of salt is minimal.
• 2-3 eggs per week (unlimited protein).
• Avoid feeling hungry (have fruit snacks on time).

The diet for high cholesterol in women is no different from that for men and the general principles of nutrition remain the same. Total cholesterol in women and men should be no more than 5.2 mmol/l; a figure of 6.19 mmol/l is already considered significantly increased. HDL in women should be at least 0.9 mmol/l and up to 1.9 mmol/l; in men this figure is different - from 0.7 to 1.7 mmol/l.

The onset of menopause has an adverse effect on cholesterol metabolism and is explained by the fact that with the onset of menopause, estrogen decreases, and it regulates the production of “good” cholesterol. The increase in “bad” is facilitated by a woman’s sedentary lifestyle, overeating and consumption of fatty and high-calorie foods.

Diet for women with high cholesterol should contain as much as possible plant foods rich in phytosterols , which control and reduce the level of bad cholesterol:

• wheat germ;
• sesame seeds;
• sunflower seeds;
• flax seed;
• olive oil;
• grape seed oil;
• avocado.

Vegetables and fruits containing pectin : apples, citrus fruits, beets, watermelons and natural vegetable juices. Remember that all purple and red fruits and vegetables contain polyphenols that stimulate the production of good cholesterol: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, cranberry juice, chokeberries, lingonberries, pomegranate, purple and red grapes, plums, eggplants. Green leafy salads and vegetables are also useful: cabbage, lettuce, spinach, sorrel, artichoke and parsley, dill and green onions available to everyone.

It is imperative to include legumes in your diet, which, due to their high fiber content, will remove harmful cholesterol from the intestines. In terms of protein content, they can replace meat.

It is beneficial for older women to consume soy products containing phytoestrogens . Do not forget about proper culinary processing of meat and fish - a minimum of fat when cooking - it is best to bake in the oven, in pots or steamed.

Considering women's craving for sweets, it will be very difficult to give up sweet cream products, chocolate and sweets, pastries, cookies, waffles and limit yourself in sugar. But this must be done. Fatty meat should also disappear from the diet; you will have to give up processed meat (sausage, boiled pork). Pork, lard and bacon are prohibited. Don't forget about the need for physical activity. All this will only bring benefits - your tests will normalize, your weight will drop, and you will consider yourself attractive.

Often, high cholesterol is observed in diseases of the internal organs and endocrine system: nephritis , hypothyroidism , obesity , diabetes mellitus . This combined pathology requires a special approach to nutrition and more serious treatment. In each case, the issue is resolved individually and therapeutic nutrition is prescribed for the underlying disease. For example, what diet is indicated for high cholesterol due to kidney disease? In this case, you need to follow Table No. 7 and its variations. Diet 7 is prescribed for chronic kidney disease and, in addition to limiting salt and the amount of liquid you drink, it involves excluding foods rich in cholesterol (kidneys, liver, egg yolks, brains).

List of what not to eat if you have high cholesterol

Certain foods with an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis will have to be completely abandoned. The “record holders” for the content of cholesterol and substances that promote its synthesis in the body are the following:

• fatty meat and poultry - beef, pork, duck;
• offal - liver, brains, kidneys;
• cheeses, butter, other dairy products with a high percentage of fat;
• margarine, animal fats, lard;
• smoked meats, sausages and canned goods;
• sweets, baked goods, confectionery;
• alcoholic drinks, lemon, strong tea and coffee.

It is necessary to exclude the listed foods from the diet for at least three months if the level of cholesterol in the blood exceeds normal levels.

Authorized Products

Proper nutrition for high cholesterol should become the norm. What should it be? First of all, you need to exclude meat broths - prepare vegetarian soups; if this is difficult and unusual for you, then you can use weak secondary broth for first courses and carefully skim off the fat. Use potatoes in minimal quantities and it is better to prepare combined vegetable soups, cabbage soup and borscht.

Meat and poultry should be taken of lean types; poultry skin is unacceptable; additional fat should be trimmed from the meat. Since the diet involves limiting fat, the meat should be boiled or baked without adding sour cream, mayonnaise or any fat. Use vegetables as a side dish, not cereal. It is better to cook them for breakfast (oatmeal, buckwheat and brown rice).

Cabbage (all types), carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, eggplant, or salads made from fresh vegetables and green peas will help lower cholesterol levels. The total amount of vegetables eaten per day is at least 400g.

Use virgin vegetable oils to season ready-made dishes. omega-3 fatty acids, which regulate the production of beneficial lipids, is useful in this regard .

Lowering cholesterol levels can be achieved by introducing low-fat sea fish into the diet, but the consumption of meat (chicken) should still be limited to once a week. When it comes to fish, you should choose dietary varieties: hake, haddock, blue whiting, navaga, pollock, pollock.

Bread made from rye, grain flour and bran is allowed. You can use yeast-free bread (with bran, with flax seeds) for snacks and first courses. Milk and fermented milk products are allowed only in low fat content and in limited quantities. Green tea and weak coffee with milk and without sugar, vegetable and fruit juices without sugar are allowed.

Table of permitted products

Diet for high cholesterol in men

Each age period, starting from 30 years, has its own characteristics and dietary restrictions. So, from 30 to 40, the menu should be as varied as possible, lean meat should be eaten at least 3 times a week, and the average daily calorie intake should be about 2500-3000 kcal. However, the energy value directly depends on lifestyle: athletes require much more (up to 5000), and for sedentary work and excess weight - no more than 2000.

From 40 to 50 years of age, when age-related hormonal changes occur and metabolism slows down, the nutritional value of the daily diet should not exceed 2500-3000 kcal. Meat can be consumed no more than 3 times a week. A diet for high cholesterol after 50 years involves a complete rejection of coffee, salt and sugar, an almost complete replacement of meat dishes with fish and an increase in the proportion of low-fat dairy products in the menu. Nevertheless, you can eat tasty and quite varied food even with the most severe restrictions.

Read further: How to reduce blood cholesterol at home quickly and effectively?

Fully or partially limited products

Excluded: pork, cooking fats, refined vegetable oil, margarine, butter, duck and goose meat, offal (kidneys, brains, liver), sausages and smoked meats. Fatty fish, fish roe (contains a large amount of cholesterol), crayfish, shrimp, crabs and any canned fish, including cod liver, are prohibited.

You should not consume puff pastry and pastry products, highly extractive meat, fish, or mushroom broths. Cream, fatty cottage cheese and sour cream are not allowed in the diet. Prohibition of consumption of chocolate, full-fat ice cream, products with cream and products with palm and coconut oil. Mayonnaise and ketchup should not be used as sauces.

Limit:

• beef (1-2 times a week);
• red fish;
• egg yolks;
• potato;
• fatty cheeses;
• nuts;
• buckwheat;
• honey.

Table of prohibited products

Reminders

For those who are prescribed a diet against high cholesterol, the attending physician usually issues accompanying instructions. They reflect the basic principles of nutrition for this pathology. They must be followed strictly if there is a desire to recover.

Important note. The numbers in the instructions may vary, as the doctor and nutritionist adjust them depending on the individual course of the disease.

Product reminder:

1. Fruits are eaten fresh every day, preferably seasonal ones. Make homemade juices from them.
2. Vegetables - fresh, as well as stewed, baked, steamed and boiled. According to the season. Make homemade juices from them (without adding spices and salt).
3. Legumes - 2 times a week.
4. Meat - not fatty (beef, veal, turkey, chicken, rabbit) and not fried.
5. Dairy products - low-fat or low-fat.
6. Vegetable oil is for dressing salads; you cannot fry with it. Cold pressed. The daily norm is 2 tbsp. l.
7. Salt - 5 g per day.
8. Sugar - 50 g.

Nutrient Reminder:

1. Complex carbohydrates - 400 g per day. Limit simple ones to a minimum. The basis is cereals.
2. Proteins - 70 g. Animal to vegetable ratio: 50/50.
3. Fats - 70 g. Animal to vegetable ratio: 35/65.

Nutrition reminder:

1. The size of one serving is determined based on the presence/absence of excess weight and daily calorie content.
2. Fractional 6 meals a day.
3. Approximate diet: breakfast (7:00), lunch (10:30), lunch (14:00), afternoon snack (16:30), dinner (18:30), before bed (22:00).
4. Dishes must be fresh and prepared daily.
5. The daily water requirement is 1.5 liters.

First, you will have to spend some time looking at the lists of allowed and prohibited foods, the standard menu, weighing everything (kitchen scales are necessary), calculating the optimal daily caloric intake for your height and body weight, and dealing with many other issues reflected in these instructions. However, soon you will develop the necessary skills (learn to determine the serving size “by eye”, create your own version of the diet with alternative dishes, etc.) and the body will get used to such a healthy diet.

Menu (Power Mode)

The cholesterol diet menu is designed for 5 meals a day. Since you should not allow yourself to feel hungry during the day or in the evening, you are allowed to eat an apple, grapefruit, carrots or drink a fermented milk product. A sample menu for several days might look like this:

First option

Second option

Third option

Below is a table of low cholesterol from which you can make up your diet.

What must be on the menu

The basis of the diet is products to lower blood cholesterol in men, which cleanse the body of excess LDL. The list includes:

• cooked and fresh vegetables, fruits;
• cereals, bran bread, legumes;
• sea ​​fish containing many polyunsaturated fatty acids;
• egg whites as protein sources;
• vegetable oils;
• soy and mushrooms;
• dairy and fermented milk products with a low percentage of fat;
• green tea, fruit drinks, compotes, freshly squeezed juices from fruits and vegetables.

It is useful to add garlic and some spices (for example, turmeric) to food. You can also include pasta, egg yolks, and lean meat in the menu, but in limited quantities.

Recipes

Fish baked with vegetables

0.5 kg pike perch fillet, 2-3 tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, lettuce pepper, onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp. spoons of vegetable oil.

Roughly chop the onion, garlic, zucchini and eggplant. Mix the vegetables, season with pepper, vegetable oil, Provençal herbs and marinate for 30 minutes. Also grease the fish fillet with oil and season with herbs. Place the prepared vegetables on foil, place the fish fillet on top and cover with small tomatoes. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Fish baked with vegetables and cheese

Hake fillet 500 g, carrots, onions, tomatoes, low-fat cheese 50 g, vegetable oil.

Cut the fillet into portions, marinate in spices and allspice. In a frying pan, simmer finely chopped onion and grated carrots, adding a little vegetable oil. Place the hake fillet in a small dish, cover with a layer of stewed vegetables and slices of chopped tomato. Bake for 20 minutes, sprinkle with grated cheese at the end and place in the oven for another 3 minutes.

Baked chicken breast

Chicken fillet 300 g, fresh vegetables and herbs to taste, olive oil 1 tbsp, milk 0.25 cup, garlic.

Lightly beat the chicken fillet and marinate in olive oil with garlic, rosemary and milk for half an hour. Place in pan and bake. Season the finished dish with salt and serve with any fresh vegetables.

Chicken fillet with green beans

One chicken fillet, 300 g beans, pepper, spices, olive oil, salt.

Cut the chicken fillet into cubes and simmer until half cooked in a saucepan with a little water. Add frozen green beans, spices to taste and simmer under the lid until the chicken is completely cooked. Before serving, add herbs, olive oil and a little salt. Serve warm.

Is it possible to drink alcohol?

This question worries many patients with high blood cholesterol, because they often receive offers to go on a visit, celebrate a significant event, etc. Is it possible to skip a glass of alcohol or should you refrain from even the minimum dose of strong drinks?

It all depends on two factors: what dose of the drink will be taken, and also what type of alcohol it is. Strong drinks have different effects on the body, including the harmful cholesterol present in the blood vessels:

• vodka - doctors do not note any beneficial effects for this drink; on the contrary, they consider it dangerous. Many manufacturers add to their products, instead of the required ethyl alcohol, a cheap substitute - methyl alcohol. As a result, even 30 gr. the poison consumed will be enough not only to not lower cholesterol, but also to lose life;
• Whiskey is a natural drink made from malt, rich in ellagic acid. It has a pronounced effect on bad cholesterol, being a good antioxidant. Fights harmful substances, removes toxins, but only with regular small amounts of whiskey consumed;
• cognac – approximately 30–50 grams of cognac per week will help lower cholesterol levels and improve vascular tone. Consumption of large doses reduces the effect and leads to the development of alcoholism;
• dry wine – reduces the level of harmful substances in the blood, gives tone to blood vessels, neutralizes the effect of free radicals.

When taking statins and other groups of drugs that a doctor may prescribe, drinking alcohol is contraindicated due to severe side effects on the liver. Therefore, before drinking even a glass of “healthy” dry wine, you need to make sure there are no contraindications.

Advantages and disadvantages

Diet options

For cardiovascular diseases, a standard diet is prescribed - treatment table number 10 according to Pevzner. It is also recommended for high bad cholesterol, which is the main provocateur of the development of CVD. However, you need to keep in mind that within it there is a separate classification for more refined diagnoses. Therefore, if hypocholesterolemia is accompanied by a number of other pathologies, you need to look at this gradation.

All diet options No. 10 are similar to each other and differ only in the following points:

• 10A - low fat;
• 10B - protein-carbohydrate;
• 10C - maximum balanced;
• 10P - low carbohydrate diet;
• 10G - salt-free;
• 10I - drinking.

A more detailed description of the options for diet No. 10 is shown in the table below.

Most often, for high cholesterol, treatment table No. 10C is prescribed, which has a hypolipidemic effect. It, in turn, is divided into two more options - with obesity and without it.

Reviews and results

This diet is designed for 3 months in some cases and more on the recommendation of a doctor. This diet program allows you to lose weight and improve your overall health. Many people note normalization of cholesterol and blood pressure , disappearance of constipation and heartburn , which is associated with the elimination of fatty and fried foods.

• “... The problem with cholesterol arose recently, and the doctor insisted that if I had high bad cholesterol, I should start taking pills, but I decided to try to normalize everything with nutrition, and I’ll have time to take the pills. For now I’m doing without medications, I’m sticking to my diet very strictly - I think there will be results. I didn’t retake the tests, but my blood pressure became normal and I lost weight”;
• “... Everything in combination - the anti-cholesterol diet and the pills that I followed for 3 months gave results. The doctor told me not to get my hopes up, if there is a lipid metabolism disorder, then I need to constantly eat right”;
• “... There were changes in the lipid profile, and the doctor said that we could still try to bring everything back to normal with nutrition. I researched all the recommendations on the Internet, made a list of foods that help with high cholesterol, and got to work. At first it was difficult to limit myself to sweets, cheese and fried foods, especially since I had never eaten so many vegetables. But in three months there were changes - we managed to lower cholesterol, but not yet to normal. My overall condition has improved, my weight has even dropped.”

Useful tips

With high cholesterol levels, the composition of the products and the method of preparation are important:

• First meal. Rich, spicy soups, fatty meat broths, fried vegetables are excluded from the menu. Preference is given to light vegetable, fish or chicken broths. Poultry meat is cooked without skin, removing excess fat. It is not recommended to season ready-made dishes with sour cream or mayonnaise.
• Second courses. Fried potatoes, pilaf, navy-style pasta, fast food - everything fatty and fried is strictly prohibited. The best option is side dishes made from cereals, boiled or stewed vegetables.
• Beverages. It is undesirable to drink tea, coffee, cocoa with added cream. Alcohol is completely excluded. It is most beneficial to drink green or ginger tea with honey, mineral water, and juices.

The optimal amount of daily cholesterol intake is about 300 mg.

The information below will help you create a menu correctly.