People with high blood lipids usually have dietary taboos

There are hidden high-fat and high-sugar hidden in daily food, excessive amounts of refined carbohydrates, and processed foods containing trans fatty acids. As long as the intake of ordinary pork, beef, mutton, and eggs is controlled, there is no need to completely avoid them.

Let me talk about a pitfall that many people have stepped into. Last year, I met a 62-year-old man. His physical examination showed that his triglycerides were 4.2mmol/L. He was so frightened that he gave up all the eggs and braised pork he had eaten for decades. He only added half a spoonful of oil with white rice and stir-fried cabbage. However, after three months of reexamination, he found that his triglycerides had risen to 5.1. He took the report and was so confused that he almost turned into a rabbit. Why did the index still rise? In fact, the problem is that he puts most of his calories on refined carbohydrates such as white rice. Excessive refined carbohydrates cannot be consumed in time in the body, and will be converted into triglycerides and stored, and blood lipids will naturally rise.

There are also many people who think that as long as I don’t eat fat, my blood fat will not be high. This is not true. A while ago, there was a little girl who ate light salads every day, but her blood lipids were still over the standard. The reason was that she added two tablespoons of Caesar dressing every time. There are too many similar invisible high-fat foods: crispy wife pancakes, sesame paste with cold dishes, small crispy fish with porridge, and even many multigrain biscuits that are advertised as "healthy", the fat content can reach more than 25%, and when you eat it, you don't feel that the calories have been exceeded.

As for egg yolks and fatty meat, which many people are disgusted by, there is currently no unified taboo standard in the academic community. Earlier, the American Heart Association recommended that daily dietary cholesterol intake should not exceed 300 mg, which is almost the amount of a whole egg. Therefore, many doctors will recommend that people with high blood lipids eat less egg yolks. However, in recent years, more and more studies have shown that 70% of the cholesterol in the human blood is synthesized by the liver, and only about 30% is absorbed from food. As long as you do not eat high-cholesterol foods such as braised, fried tripe, and animal offal every day, but eat 3-5 whole eggs a week, and occasionally eat two bites of braised pork ribs, the impact on blood lipids is actually minimal. I have a friend with high blood lipids who eats 4 eggs a week, and his index has always been very stable, so he doesn’t have to worry about eating just because of this.

But there is one category of food that all doctors agree on completely avoiding: processed foods containing trans fats. For example, you usually buy shortbread, butter cake, non-dairy cream in instant coffee, and creamer in bubble milk tea. As long as the words "hydrogenated vegetable oil", "shortening", "margarine" and "non-dairy cream" are listed in the ingredient list, it is best to put them back directly. Trans fatty acids will directly increase the low-density lipoprotein in the blood, which is what we often call "bad cholesterol", and also reduce the content of good cholesterol. The damage to blood vessels is much greater than ordinary saturated fat. This is recognized by the global medical community, and there is no need to step on this thunder.

Another easily overlooked killer is added sugar. Many people give up oil and meat, but in the summer they drink a bottle of iced Coke every day and eat preserved fruits and plums from time to time. After the added sugar in these things enters the body, it will also be converted into triglycerides. I met a young man before who didn't smoke, drink or eat meat, but loved to drink sweet drinks. His triglycerides soared to 4.0. Later, he replaced all sweet drinks with mineral water and light tea. Within three months, it dropped to the normal range. Even he himself found it incredible.

In fact, I have been telling my friends with high blood lipids that there is no need to make dietary restrictions like going to jail. You can't eat this or touch that. On the contrary, it is easy to be unable to persist and break the diet. The core is to avoid the minefields just mentioned. Use less oil in cooking, eat more whole grains and green leafy vegetables. If you want to eat meat, eat lean ones. If you want to eat eggs, you don’t have to eat only egg whites. It’s okay to have a craving for cakes occasionally. As long as you don’t eat them every day, it will be much better than giving up after half a month of eating boiled vegetables every day. After all, lowering blood lipids is a long-term matter, and habits that can be adhered to are truly useful.