Battling High Cholesterol

It’s been awhile since my last post, hasn’t it?! I blame this lapse on organic chemistry – it is quite the challenge!

I was inspired to write this post because my friend told me he had found out he has high cholesterol levels. Cardiovascular diseases, including high cholesterol is common in my family, too and according to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular diseases are the biggest cause of death in the U.S., to which high cholesterol levels in the blood contribute (1). I myself had just a slightly elevated cholesterol level a few years ago, before I had become fully vegetarian. Now my cholesterol level is in great shape, not just because I am a vegetarian, but because overall I have improved my eating habits quite a bit since then.

Oatmeal a'la Herbivore: banana, cinnamon and non-dairy milk

Cholesterol is a substance that we need – it is an essential part of every cell in our bodies. Also, cholesterol is used by our bodies to make steroid hormones, which are necessary for many bodily functions and it is a part of bile, which helps fat absorption in the small intestine. However, our bodies are able to produce cholesterol and thus we don’t need to consume it in our diets. It is OK to eat some every day and the daily allowance recommended by many organizations, such as the American Heart Association, is 300mg per day, or as little as possible (2: 200-201).

All animal based foods contain cholesterol. Some of the biggest sources are eggs, shrimp and red meat – just one egg provides 200 mg of the daily recommendation of 300mg. Plant based foods don’t contain any cholesterol, and in fact they can help you lower your cholesterol levels (2: 200-201). Here is a quick list of some of the foods that can help control cholesterol levels.

1.       Soluble fiber. Oats, legumes, fruits and berries are great sources of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber binds bile (whose one ingredient is cholesterol) in the small intestine and prevents its reabsorption, thus helping to reduce cholesterol levels. A sudden increase in fiber might cause some gassiness and bloating, but our bodies are remarkable in that they get used to it very quickly and the gassiness and bloating tend to go away if the high fiber diet is maintained (2: 157). Check out my very first blog about oatmeal for tips how to make oatmeal delicious!

2.       Omega-3 fatty acids. They cannot be produced by the body. They increase the levels of “good cholesterol” (HDL’s), which carry excess cholesterol away from the tissues to the liver. Good sources are flax seed, walnuts, chia seeds and fatty fishes (2: 203). I put ground flax seed into my oatmeal, which is a very easy way for me to get my omega-3’s. 

3.       Prefer vegetable oils high in unsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are abundant in most plant oils, but in animal fats saturated fats usually dominate. Poly- and especially monounsaturated fats help to increase HDL levels similar to omega-3’s. Canola oil and olive oil are excellent choices in the kitchen, but virtually all plant oils (except coconut and cocoa butter) are rich in good fats (2: 201-202). I often put avocado oil in my salad and if I make popcorn, I spray it with a small amount of canola oil. 

Thank you for reading! Hopefully my next post won’t take as long as this one did!

As always, comments and questions are highly appreciated.

Love,

Anna-Kaisa

References:

1.       American Heart Association http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

2.       Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol. Moe, Gaile. Beshgetoor, Donna. Berning, Jacqueline. Introduction to Human Nutrition. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2013. Print.