Gone are the days when only older people suffered from high cholesterol and cardiac diseases. Today's unhealthy lifestyle, no concern for workouts, and trying out new eateries every day for the sake of social media has caused our young generation to suffer from cholesterol problems as well.
Since having high cholesterol cannot be figured out until the symptoms worsen, many people are unaware of their cholesterol levels. As per the 2008 research conducted by the world health organization, 39% of adults suffer from high cholesterol levels, causing 2.6 million deaths in a year around the globe.
Even though genetics play a 5% role in getting cholesterol issues, a lot of the credit goes to the poor lifestyle. Therefore, in this article, we have concluded everything you should know regarding good and bad cholesterol levels and a 7-day Low Cholesterol Diet Plan so you can live healthy and happy.
Before we give you the diet plan, you need to understand this disease and how cholesterol levels rise. Then we'll tell you the foods you can incorporate into your diet to control these rising levels, with a full planned 7-day diet plan to help you control your cholesterol so your heart can keep pumping blood to your organs effectively and efficiently.
Related Article: 12 Things you Need to Know Before Starting a Diet Plan
Cholesterol is a wax-like fatty substance produced in the liver and is found in our blood and body cells. Our bodies need cholesterol to make various substances, such as cell walls, tissues, vitamin D, hormones, and bile acids.
Cholesterol is not just produced by our bodies but is found in various food items as well that are taken from animals, such as egg yolks, meat, and whole-milk dairy products. Even though it is important for our good health, too much cholesterol can be dangerous.
How Do Cholesterol Levels Rise?
Further in the discussion of cholesterol, it is important to understand the good and bad cholesterol and how they rise to a dangerous level in our bodies, leading to heart attacks and various cardiovascular diseases.
One-third of cholesterol found in the body is produced inside the liver, and the rest is consumed through our diets. When we consume food, or the liver produces cholesterol, which is then carried in our blood by proteins called lipoproteins.
The two types of lipoproteins that make up total cholesterol in our body are; low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), also known as the bad and good cholesterol.
Low-density lipoproteins make up most of the cholesterol found in our bodies. In layman's terms, LDL is called bad cholesterol because high levels of LDL lead to high chances of strokes and heart diseases.
High-density lipoprotein represents a rather smaller part of the cholesterol in the body and is known as good cholesterol. This is because HDL absorbs the cholesterol and sends it back to the liver, where it is then flushed out of the system, ultimately lowering the chances of cardiovascular diseases.
When there is an excess of bad cholesterol or LDL in our body, it starts to build upon the walls of the blood vessels. This built-up, also known as plaque, in turn, reduces blood flow to the heart and other organs, leading to angina or heart attacks, etc.
Healthy Foods to Reduce Cholesterol Levels
Now that you understand the difference between good and bad cholesterols and how they can endanger your life, here is a list of foods that you can incorporate into your diet to control your cholesterol levels effectively.
Beans and Lentils
Beans and lentils are rich in soluble fiber and are free of cholesterol. Since beans and lentils are plant-based proteins, they help reduce the body's bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein.
For example, red, yellow, green, brown lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, runner beans, etc.
Food Rich in Healthy Fats
Just like good and bad cholesterol, fats are also classified as good and bad based on different kinds of fat. Food with monounsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats is good for the heart as they help increase high-density lipoproteins.
For example, avocado, nuts, seeds, olives, salmon sardines, vegetable oils, spreads, etc.
Oats and Barley
Instead of consuming processed food, try adding more whole-grain foods wherever possible. Whole-grain foods contain a good amount of soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which helps you lower bad cholesterol levels.
For example; Oats, barley, brown rice, whole wheat bread, etc., are the best whole-grain foods that you can easily add to your diets to lower the low-density lipoproteins in your body.
Fruits and Vegetables
Colorful fruits and vegetables contain substantial amounts of soluble fiber in their skin, which helps protect you against any cardiovascular diseases, lowering cholesterol consumption and reducing LDL levels.
For example: consuming carrots and potatoes with their peels, adding orange and lemon peels in salads, etc.
Nuts
Unsalted and unroasted nuts that are closed to their naturally ripe stage are the ones that contain fats and soluble fibers. Those nuts specifically found with skin are great for the heart as they're linked to lowering bad cholesterol levels and triglycerides.
For example, pistachios, almonds, pecan nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, etc.
How to Meal Prep for the Week?
Now that you're well aware of all the things you need to incorporate in your everyday diets and how beneficial they are for you in lowering the bad cholesterol levels, we've designed a complete 7-day meal plan.
This meal plan contains everything you need to consume throughout the day for an entire week. To make it even easier for you, we've written the calories, fats, proteins, etc., you'll be consuming throughout the day to know exactly what you're eating and how much you're eating.
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Monday (Day 1)
Breakfast: (405 calories)
200gm of Greek yogurt with 2-4 blueberries, 2 whole walnuts, and 1tsp honey
Lunch: (532 calories)
2 vegetable and hummus sandwiches (210 gm each)
Supper: (567 calories)
100gm of roasted salmon with 300gm of green garlic beans
Total calories for the day: 1504 calories
Total Carbs: 58g
Total fat: 84g
Total protein: 78g
Tuesday (Day 2)
Breakfast: (392 calories)
2 servings of spinach, Swiss and egg white omelet (90gm each) with 2 slices of whole-wheat toast
Lunch: (534 calories)
115gm of tuna stuffed pepper with 1 avocado
Supper: (570 calories)
2 servings of chicken labor (80gm each)
Total calories for the day: 1496 calories
Total carbs: 126g
Total fat: 149g
Total proteins: 138g
Wednesday (Day 3)
Breakfast: (525 calories)
290gm of Asian salmon in foil
Lunch: (467 calories)
75gm of basic mixed green salad with peanut butter and celery (4 stalks of celery with 4 tablespoons of peanut butter)
Supper: (501 calories)
200gm of vegetable stir fry
Total calories for the day: 1493 calories
Total carbs: 103g
Total fats: 84g
Total proteins: 96g
TRENDING ARTICLES
Thursday (Day 4)
Breakfast: (397 calories)
140gm of southwestern eggs with 2 slices of whole-wheat toast
Lunch: (518 calories)
160gm of simple Caprese sandwich with 1 ounce of almonds
Supper: (589 calories)
170gm of vegetables and chicken salad
Total calories for the day: 1504 calories
Total carbs: 127g
Total fats: 75g
Total proteins: 88g
Friday (Day 5)
Breakfast: (430 calories)
200gm of breakfast scrambled eggs with spinach and mushroom along with 100gm of strawberries
Lunch: (404 calories)
220gm of chicken and avocado salad
Supper: (679 calories)
Approx 300 gm of kidney bean quesadillas tortillas
Total calories for the day: 1513 calories
Total carbs: 120g
Total fats: 62g
Total proteins: 127g
Saturday (Day 6)
Breakfast: (445 calories)
approx 1700gm of Gordon Ramsay's scrambled eggs
Lunch: (467 calories)
75gm of basic mixed green salad with peanut butter and celery (4 stalks of celery with 4 tablespoons of peanut butter)
Supper: (524 calories)
30gm of tuna patties with 210gm of green beans with olive oil
Total calories for the day: 1436 calories
Total carbs: 69g
Total fats: 95g
Total proteins: 87g
Sunday (Day 7)
Breakfast: (443 calories)
248gm of peach yogurt parfait
Lunch: (426 calories)
120gm of rye sandwiches with tomato and hummus
Supper: (630 calories)
270gm chicken wrap with 40gm of steamed broccoli with olive oil and parmesan
Total calories for the day: 1499 calories
Total carbs: 168g
Total fats: 65g
Total proteins: 75g
Final Words
High cholesterol levels and cardiovascular diseases are rising causes of death amongst individuals belonging to different age groups. To control these staggering levels of bad cholesterol rising in our bloodstreams, proper workout routines, conscious and healthy eating habits, and proper sleeping patterns must be followed.
Nonetheless, controlling cholesterol is not a very difficult task, and neither is losing weight with the given 7 day meal plan.
Reading List
Article Sources
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