Modern people are eating less staple food and more dishes, with many believing this is a nutritionally balanced diet. In fact, this dietary structure is biased, and eating more vegetables and less staple food can also lead to high cholesterol.
Latest research has found that the staple foods commonly referred to, such as rice and steamed buns, contain plant sterols that help lower cholesterol. Controlled studies have shown that consuming plant sterol-enriched margarine can reduce blood low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 13%. This change is highly beneficial for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Vegetable oils, legumes, and certain seeds are rich sources of plant sterols. Cereals and flour products also contain plant sterols; although their content is less than the former, due to the large intake, the intake of plant sterols is still relatively high, accounting for about 17% of the total intake.
Therefore, moderate intake of staple food in three meals a day can lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.