Cholesterol-free diet: menu for the week

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Countless articles have been written about the dangers of cholesterol for the body, and probably every second person can talk about it. However, is it really that simple? What is a cholesterol-free diet? What foods can you eat?

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is an organic compound, a natural lipophilic alcohol found in the cell membranes of all living organisms except fungi and prokaryotes.

Almost 80% of cholesterol is produced by the body itself, the remaining 20% we get from food and drinks. To control this 20%, a cholesterol-free diet is indicated. What foods you can eat specifically, only your doctor will tell.

History of the discovery of cholesterol

In 1769, Pouletier de la Salle, a French chemist, was able to isolate a dense white substance from gallstones, which has many of the properties of fats. He called his find "fat". In 1789, another Frenchman, Antoine François de Fourcroix, a member of the National Convention, received this substance in its pure form. And only in 1815 the name "cholesterol" appeared. It was invented by the French organic chemist MichelChevrel, combining the word "bile" ("chole") with the word "fat" ("sterol"). However, cholesterol is not fat: in 1859, another Frenchman, Pierre Berthelot, proved that the substance belongs to the class of alcohols, so since 1900 it has been called cholesterol. In Russia, this name did not take root.

What is cholesterol for?

Cholesterol is of great importance for the functioning of the body, so the chosen cholesterol-free diet should not completely exclude it from the diet. This substance is an indispensable building material for the creation of cell membranes. Cholesterol protects the cell and intracellular structures from the dangerous effects of free oxygen radicals, so the ability of the cell to survive, as well as its strength and stability, depends on its amount in the membrane.

Cholesterol is also needed for the production of steroid hormones of the adrenal cortex and sex hormones. In addition, it is needed for the metabolism and absorption of vitamins A, E, D and K, for the production of vitamin D and insulin, for maintaining muscle tone and mineral metabolism, for the good functioning of the immune system. Without cholesterol, the serotonin receptors located in the brain will not function properly.

Why is cholesterol dangerous?

The World He alth Organization has concluded that cholesterol is one of the causes of atherosclerosis. Indeed, with its excess, plaques form on the inner walls of blood vessels, which reduce their diameter and, accordingly, reduce their throughput. As a rule, pain and dysfunction of organs in atherosclerosisoccur only when the blood vessels are blocked by two-thirds or more. This poses a serious threat, since atherosclerosis is the basis of many diseases of the cardiovascular system - stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, thrombosis and others. Therefore, if your doctor has recommended a cholesterol-free diet to you, you should carefully consider his advice.

What causes high cholesterol?

Contrary to popular belief, it's not just diet that raises cholesterol levels. Of course, it is very important to choose the right products: for example, you should not abuse saturated fats, which are found in red meat, lard, sausage, confectionery, hard cheeses and many other products. People who are overweight and have bad habits, with low physical activity are also at risk.

Cholesterol free diet

So what is a cholesterol-free diet, what foods can not be eaten with it? This is a diet in which a person refuses the consumption of saturated fats, cigarettes and alcohol. By and large, there are no strict restrictions, it is enough to follow a few rules. It is advisable to combine a new diet with sports - this will only enhance the effect.

What can not be eaten on a cholesterol-free diet?

So, if your choice is a cholesterol-free diet, what foods should you cut out of your diet?

As already mentioned, you need to consume less saturated fat. These include animal fats,they are also abundant in coconut and palm oils. It is best to choose vegetable oils, especially olive, but they should not be abused either.

Cholesterol free diet for a week allows you to include meat in your diet. Priority should be given to the bird. Sometimes you can afford veal, lean beef or lean lamb, very rarely lean pork. Cut off all fat from meat. Offal, semi-finished meat products, including sausages and smoked meats, should be excluded from the menu.

If you have high cholesterol, you should not eat squid and fish caviar - in extreme cases, you can eat them only a few times a year. It is not necessary to exclude eggs from the menu, but still it is better to eat no more than four pieces per week. You should also refuse cream and sour cream.

Cholesterol levels in the blood rise when blood sugar levels increase, and therefore, with a cholesterol-free diet, you need to stop eating sweets. Alcohol is prohibited, with the exception of, for example, a small amount of good red wine, as well as coffee, natural tea, caffeinated and carbonated drinks.

What can you eat on a cholesterol-free diet?

If a cholesterol-free diet is indicated for you, your table menu must contain certain foods.

For example, fish is an important ingredient. Especially useful are its fatty varieties, saturated with Omega-3 fatty acids - flounder, tuna, cod, salmon, salmon. Incidentally, many studiesscientists have proven that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Dairy products should also be included in the diet. You can opt for milk, yogurt and cottage cheese, as well as cheese and kefir with low fat content.

Fresh fruits play an important role in a cholesterol-free diet, while vegetables can be either fresh or processed with a minimum amount of fat. The daily diet should contain at least 400 g of vegetables and fruits, as well as some legumes.

From side dishes you should choose pasta, but only from durum wheat. Wholemeal bread can also be added to dishes.

Very he althy nuts, which contain unsaturated fatty acids. Instead of sweets, you can eat dried fruits, but a couple of pieces per day of black or extra dark chocolate are allowed. From drinks, you should choose berry fruit drinks, herbal teas, uzvars and compotes.

If you have a cholesterol-free diet, food should be boiled, stewed or steamed, but it is undesirable to fry them. For taste, it is enough to add spicy herbs, but s alt should not be abused. When cooking, you need to control the amount of fat.

Cholesterol free diet menu

When switching to a new diet, you should take care of choosing a diet for the first week in advance so that at the last moment you don’t have to stay hungry or eat forbidden foods. The cholesterol-free diet is no exception. The menu for the week is simple enough so you don't have to shop for rare ingredients.

Monday:

For breakfast, you can drink a glass of milk and eat toast. As a light dessert, a slice of natural marmalade is suitable.

Lunch should consist of a salad, it is useful to add boiled fish to it.

For dinner, it is permissible to eat durum spaghetti and, for example, stewed salmon. A nice addition would be a tomato salad.

Tuesday:

Breakfast allows you to have a cup of coffee, but only without caffeine, as well as a toast with a piece of low-fat cheese.

For lunch, you can eat mashed potatoes with steamed meat. You can drink it with a glass of juice, without sugar.

Dinner can be made easy by making vegetable salad and drinking weak tea.

Wednesday:

For breakfast, eat an omelet with toast and a cup of green tea.

Dinner should include vegetable soup, followed by some boiled veal and a glass of juice.

For dinner, you can make a vegetable salad with a slice of bread, then eat baked pumpkin with carrots.

Thursday:

Carrot juice is also great for breakfast, you can add toast to it for satiety.

For lunch, you can eat a salad of tomatoes, bell peppers and green onions, adding steam turkey cutlets to it.

Light dinner includes vinaigrette and tea.

Friday:

For breakfast, you can eat low-fat cottage cheese anddrink a glass of citrus juice.

Dinner should be vegetable soup and chicken breast, boiled or steamed.

Dinner should be limited to corn on the cob and salad.

Saturday:

You can have breakfast with any porridge, adding a cup of decaffeinated coffee to it.

For lunch, you can make boiled fish, and use a vegetable salad as a side dish.

Dinner is again vegetarian: brown rice and a plate of vinaigrette should be chosen.

Sunday:

Start your morning with a breakfast of low-fat yogurt and a glass of carrot juice.

Baked pumpkin with carrots will be a great lunch, and you can add a piece of boiled fish to it.

For dinner, you can cook stuffed peppers and vegetable salad.

Recipes for a cholesterol-free diet

When you get used to this type of diet like a cholesterol-free diet, recipes can be more complex.

Zucchini puree soup

For 4 servings of soup, you need to take 2 zucchini (regular zucchini), 2-3 potatoes, small onions, 1 liter of water, herbs, 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, a pinch of s alt.

Pour water into a saucepan. Wash the zucchini, peel, chop and put in a saucepan, then add the onion, then the potatoes. Cover the pot and cook over low heat until the vegetables soften, then add a little s alt and hold for another 5 minutes. Then you need to remove the pan, add vegetable oil and lower the soup into a blender, turning it into a puree. Serve withgreenery.

Bulgarian salad

For 4 servings of salad, you need to take 30 g of pine nuts, 250 g of lettuce, 3 apples, 200 g of cheese, 2 tablespoons of lemon and orange juice, a clove of garlic, 20 g of green onions, 100 ml of low-fat yogurt, 2 sweet bell peppers.

Pine nuts need to be peeled and fried in a pan without oil. At this time, wash the lettuce leaves and tear coarsely, peel the apples, remove the core, sprinkle with lemon juice and cut into cubes. From the pepper you need to cut the seeds and cut it into strips, cheese - into cubes. Chop the green onion, crush the garlic in a garlic press. Mix everything, pour over yogurt and orange juice.

Red fish baked in nuts

For 4 servings of the dish, you need to take 800 g of red fish fillet, 100 g of walnuts, juice of one lemon, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, seasonings to taste (preferably without s alt), 2-3 cloves of garlic (optional).

Crush the garlic with a garlic press and mix with lemon juice. Pour the fillet with a mixture of juice and garlic, cover with cling film and leave for about half an hour. At this time, you should chop the walnuts, add vegetable oil and spices to them, mix. The juice should be drained from the fillet, roll the fish in nuts and bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

The result of a cholesterol-free diet

Cholesterol-free diet can help the body to establish the proper functioning of organs. With proper diet, you can positivelytrends: your he alth will improve, and pathological symptoms, if any, will gradually disappear.