Foods to Eat and Avoid for High Cholesterol Patients During the Spring Festival
Introduction: The Spring Festival is always inseparable from food. What foods are suitable for patients with high cholesterol? Which foods should they avoid? These dietary taboos, which are crucial for the health of high cholesterol patients, must be kept in mind during the festive season.
A reasonable dietary structure is an important measure to maintain lipid metabolism balance. The general dietary principle for high cholesterol patients is "four lows and one high": low energy, low fat, low cholesterol, low sugar, and high fiber. Therefore, when choosing foods, select them according to this principle. Below are the foods that are suitable and should be avoided for high cholesterol patients:
Foods to Eat and Avoid for High Cholesterol Patients During the Spring Festival
1. Carbohydrate Foods
Foods to Eat – Rice, congee, noodles, pasta, kudzu root soup, taro, soft beans
Foods to Avoid – Sweet potatoes (foods that cause bloating), dried beans, strongly flavored biscuits
2. Fats
Foods to Eat – Plant oils, a small amount of cream, salad dressing
Foods to Avoid – Animal fats, raw lard, smoked meat, oil-packed sardines
3. Protein Foods
Foods to Eat – Lean meats (tender beef, lean pork, white fish), eggs, milk and dairy products (fresh cream, yogurt, ice cream, cheese), soy products (tofu, natto, soybean powder, abura-age, yuba)
Foods to Avoid – Fatty meats (pork belly, spare ribs, whale meat, herring, eel, tuna, etc.), processed products (sausages, etc.)
4. Vitamins and Minerals
Foods to Eat – Vegetables (spinach, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, burdock root, pumpkin, eggplant, cucumber, etc., low in fiber), fruits (apples, peaches, oranges, pears, grapes, watermelon, etc.), seaweeds, mushrooms. Raw fruits and vegetables can cause bloating and must be cooked until soft or made into a paste.
Foods to Avoid – Vegetables with hard fiber (burdock, bamboo shoots, corn), strongly stimulating vegetables (spicy vegetables like mustard greens, onions, celery)
5. Other Foods
Foods to Eat – Light black tea, green tea, red wine, yogurt drinks
Foods to Avoid – Spices (chili, mustard, curry powder), alcoholic beverages, coffee, strong black tea, carbonated drinks, salt-preserved foods (pickled vegetables, salted salmon, salted roe, cod roe, dishes cooked with soy sauce and sugar, pickled dishes)
In addition, patients with high cholesterol should engage in effective exercise. Exercise is particularly effective for lowering high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. If you feel refreshed all over and have light sweating after exercise, it indicates that your exercise intensity is most beneficial for controlling blood sugar. Furthermore, a recommended post-exercise heart rate is 170 minus your age. The exercise intensity for the elderly and patients with poor heart function should be individualized.