Struggling to keep your cholesterol in check? You’re not alone. High cholesterol is a silent health threat, often sneaking up through our daily food choices. But the good news is that you can easily spot and steer clear of those hidden culprits with the right knowledge.
In this blog, we’ll describe everything from what cholesterol is to what foods cause high cholesterol and provide simple tips on cutting cholesterol intake.
So, let’s dive in:
Understanding Cholesterol
Cholesterol is the waxy, fatty substance found in the blood and is a silent killer. It’s a type of lipid our body needs to produce certain hormones, such as bile acids, which digest fat. The right level of cholesterol is important for the proper functioning of the body and helps make one’s health sound.
Many well-known nutritionists, including Chandigarh’s renowned dietician, Dt. Priyanka from Indyte Nutritional and Lifestyle Clinic says that Cholesterol issues are primarily prevalent among those who eat food to satisfy their palates rather than improve their health.
As a result, their body’s cholesterol levels increase, seriously impairing their health. Notably, the majority of heart attack cases occur primarily in individuals with elevated blood cholesterol levels.
It has also been analyzed in a study done by WHF (World Heart Federation) that one-third of ischaemic heart disease was linked to raised cholesterol problems. Overall, this high level of cholesterol in the body leads to the deaths of 3.6 million people every year, and the reason is heart attack.
Thus, it’s critical to analyze what foods cause high cholesterol in the body as soon as possible and find potential solutions to lower cholesterol levels.
For early resolution of this ailment, one must also consult an expert dietician, such as Dr. Priyanka from Indyte. She can advise on which foods increase cholesterol and manage their levels. She is an expert nutritionist with years of experience providing dietary consultations for different health issues.
Now, let’s explore what foods cause high cholesterol and some tips to reduce cholesterol naturally for a happy heart.
Which Foods Increase Cholesterol?
Some folks tend to develop cholesterol issues due to genetic causes, but significantly due to bad dietary habits. Elevated cholesterol levels build up sludge in the arteries and cause heart attacks.
Therefore, it’s critical to understand which foods raise cholesterol levels. We’ll walk you through this under:
Sugary Eatables & Drinks
Sugary eatables include chocolate bars, candies, cakes, and processed sweets like muffins and ice cream. Drinks include energy drinks and sweetened coffee or tea. These foods cause higher cholesterol levels and lead to fatal health issues.
Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates are a significant component of modern diets, and the particulars of this food group include white bread, white rice, pastries and cakes, breakfast serials, and snack foods like chips or crackers. Typically, packaged and processed food comes under this category, raises cholesterol, and impacts well-being.
Full-Fat Dairy Products
This food group includes full-fat milk, not skimmed, cheddar cheese, butter, ice cream, or other cream-based products. While these are essential vitamin D and protein components, their excess consumption leads to higher cholesterol levels that affect cardiac health.
Fried Foods
Fried foods are a staple in many diets. Consuming too much-fried food enhances the lipid profile in the blood. Fried food is cooked in oils rich in saturated fats, like palm oil or animal fats, which give rise to bad cholesterol in the body. Fried food could be anything from fried chicken to doughnuts made with glazed oils and intense sugars.
Processed Meats
Processed meats are standard components of various diets. Too much consumption of this food group can lead to serious issues. The primary examples of processed meats are bacon, sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, etc. These are meats prepared through smoking, salting, and adding extra oils and preservatives that increase blood fat.
Now that we know what foods cause high cholesterol in the body, we will emphasize how to avoid eating such foods.Those with blood fat problems can learn to combat cholesterol issues by adapting the underlying dietary habits.
How To Avoid Eating Foods That Cause High Cholesterol?
Dietary management deals with high cholesterol levels and helps people lower them. It should be noted that foods rich in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol must be explicitly avoided.
Here are some strategies that work for how one can avoid eating high-fat foods. Let’s have a look at:
A.Chose Healthier & Tasty Alternatives
Incorporate healthy options to satisfy your taste buds’ cravings instead of consuming high-fat food items. For example, choose sweetened oats if you like eating sugary items like candies or jam spreads.
a.Lean proteins
Instead of eating processed meats, go for options like lean cuts of beef, skinless poultry, lean beads, and pork tenderloin.
b.High-Fiber Foods
Eat foods rich in fiber, like oats, quinoa, brown rice, and barley. These foods have lesser fat content and help build sound health over time.
c.Low-Fat Dairy Products
Choose low-fat dairy products like low-fat, skim, low-fat yogurt, and cottage cheese.
d.Plant-based Foods
Adapt more green veggies to your diet, like spinach, broccoli, and bell peppers, apart from consuming more potatoes. Consume fruits more instead of sugary items.
e.Sugar-Free Products
It means eating fruits when your mood craves chocolates or sugared cookies. Some options include sugar-free cookies so that you can eat those instead of sugar-coated cookies. For tea, go for green tea or herbal teas without added sugars.
B. Do Meal Planning
Another healthy approach is meal planning, which means organizing meals ahead of time. It means deciding beforehand what you will eat in a day, for the week, and a few days in advance. This practice dramatically improves health and helps people stick to nutritional goals.
C. Portion Control
By controlling portion sizes, you may lower your consumption of foods high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and refined carbohydrates, all of which raise cholesterol.
Portion management enables you to enjoy particular foods in moderation while keeping a balanced diet instead of eliminating them. For instance, eating smaller amounts of meat, dairy, or fried food can help you lower cholesterol levels by increasing good fat in the body.
D.Healthy Oils For Cooking
Include healthy oils in your diet. When cooking, replace olive oil with butter; use avocado oil for salad dressings; and pour canola oil into veggies when roasting.
These modest adjustments can significantly impact decreasing cholesterol levels without compromising flavor. Expert nutritionists like Dr. Priyanka always recommend using healthy oils for cooking.
E. Read Nutrition Labels Carefully
Nutrition labels offer essential details on fat levels, particularly the presence of trans and saturated fats, which are known to increase low-density lipoproteins (LDL). By closely reading these labels, you can choose what foods cause high and that are lower in cholesterol-raising substances.
Conclusion
Ultimately, knowing which meals raise cholesterol and avoiding them is crucial to heart health and general well-being. You may make informed dietary decisions by connecting with Indyte nutritional experts and learning which foods increase cholesterol.
Consult the expert nutritionist, Dr Priyanka, who will formulate a healthy diet plan to help you lower your cholesterol levels.