FOODS TO AVOID IF YOU HAVE HIGH CHOLESTEROL!
Have you checked your cholesterol levels?
Dear Healthy Friend,
I want to especially welcome you to another week of healthy information; I am always excited when it comes to sending you these letters and truly hope that you have been implementing them.
Before I go on to talk about today’s topic, I want you to do a little self-love exercise.
Breathe in and remind yourself of these affirmations;
I am bold
I make healthy decisions
I love myself and intentionally care about my wellbeing
I am more than what the world thinks of me
I am who I say I am and that’s a healthy, thriving, and beautiful soul
Wow, what a self-love refreshing affirmation that is, now we can get on!
When it comes to eating healthy, as much as it depends on knowledge and how to go about it, it also depends on your willingness to be able to decide to eat healthy. Let alone, when you have high cholesterol levels. Finding the best diet is very essential to maintain a healthy life in this case and to prevent an escalation of the health condition.
If you know anyone who has high cholesterol levels now would be a good time to share this letter with them, you may just be saving a life.
WHAT IS HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVEL?
This can be said to be when you have too much cholesterol in your blood. Cholesterol equals large amounts of fat in your blood and this is usually caused by eating too much foods that contain fat, not exercising enough, smoking, drinking alcohol, and being overweight.
The risky thing with high cholesterol is that it can block your blood vessels and can lead to heart challenges and even stroke. So, you may need to be watchful of what you eat because to be honest, it isn’t something that spells out its symptoms directly, you can only find out when you take a blood test for it.
One of the main causes of high cholesterol is because low intake of foods containing healthy fats and an immense intake of foods containing unhealthy fats.
Your HDL which means; High-density lipoproteins and can be referred to as good cholesterol, absorbs cholesterol in the blood and takes it back to the liver. The liver then flushes it from the body. It helps lower heart disease risk and stroke.
Your LDL which means; Low-density lipoproteins and can be referred to as cholesterol, makes up most of your body’s cholesterol and can increase heart disease and stroke.
Typically, your HDL should be above 60
While Your LDL should be below 100
Your total therefore should be below 200.
It may be a little difficult to stay away from certain foods, especially those that you fancy but like they say; health is wealth. You may need to avoid some of these foods and stick to a much healthier diet.
FOODS TO AVOID
1.    Red Meat – Such as beef, pork, lamb, ribs have high amounts of fat, hence you may need to avoid them.
2.    Fried Foods- It would be best to avoid foods that have been soaked in oil or deep fried like fried chicken, fried plantain, fried meat, and fried foods in general. This is because frying increases the calories count, you can alternate fried foods with grilled or air fried.
3.    Processed Foods – Generally, processed foods should not be eaten regularly even if you don’t have high cholesterol. For the case of this topic which focuses on those with high cholesterol, I would urge you to cut off any form of processed food like hot dogs, bacon and sausages and the likes. This is because they contain high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat.
4.    Baked Foods – We all know that baked foods usually contain a lot of sugar and butter and these are high in cholesterol. Avoid cakes, cookies, and pastries if you have high sugar levels. Instead of butter, you can replace it with bananas and instead of Flour, try using oats.
OTHER FOODS TO AVOID
·       Whole Milk
·       Cream Milk
·       Alcoholic Drinks
·       Coconut Oil
·       Soft Drinks
·       Soda
·       Biscuits
·       Pasta
·       Cereals
·       White Bread
THE BEST DIET HOWEVER EXISTS, EAT FOODS LIKE;
1.    Vegetables – Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, Ugwu, water leaves, lettuce, cabbage, zucchini, cauliflower, and celery amongst others.
2.    Fruits – Apples, Grapes, Avocado, Berries, Oranges, Kiwi, plums, tomatoes,
3.    Nuts and Seeds – Almonds, Walnuts, Peanuts, Pistachios, hazelnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds and sunflower seeds
4.    Unflavored Milk and Yoghurt
5.    Replace Salt with Herbs and Spices
6.    Whole Grains like Oats and Barley
7.    Fatty Fish like Salmond and Mackerel
8.    Dark Chocolate
9.    Legumes
10. Olive Oil
CONCLUSION
High Cholesterol levels stand as a major risk to your health and helping yourself by having a good diet can go a long way to managing it and keeping you healthy.
Kindly like, comment, and share this letter with someone today.
See you next time.
Casandra Ayodele
HealthmartwithCassie
REFERENCES
nhs UK