5 Diet Mistakes To Avoid If You Have High Cholesterol

Most people with high cholesterol know how important it is to eat well. However, due to lack of knowledge or poor information , you may make some dietary mistakes that may ruin your efforts.

It can be very frustrating as you may not be able to get your cholesterol level down to normal no matter what you eat or what medication you are taking. The most talked about thing is that you might make the problem worse yourself – and the complications can be quite serious.

Therefore, you need to find out what mistakes you are making and why they are so harmful even though they may seem harmless. Below you can read more about the 5 most common mistakes people with high cholesterol make. That way, you can start to take control of this problem in a better way.

Dietary errors and high cholesterol

Anyone who has been diagnosed with high cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia should follow the dietary advice their doctor gives them. Although it means drastic changes in your daily diet, it is absolutely important if you want to prevent more serious problems.

But when it comes to cholesterol, eating well does not just mean eating more fruits and vegetables. You may not be aware that there are other significant changes you need to make. They also vary from person to person as each body is different.

Do you think you might be making these mistakes in your eating habits? Having trouble lowering your cholesterol? If so, keep reading to find out if you can change things up.

Diet Mistake # 1: You are not aware of sugar

Sugar consumption has no direct effect on the cholesterol levels in your body. But sugary foods are often also high in harmful fats, such as trans or saturated fats.

Eating this type of food regularly can make you gain weight. Being overweight is very closely associated with high cholesterol. The high glycemic index of these foods raises your blood sugar, which destroys the artery walls over time.

Diet Mistake # 2: You are only aware of cholesterol in foods

Some people with high cholesterol believe that eating better means excluding certain foods that are high in cholesterol. It is true that it helps on cholesterol, but it is a mistake to think that it is enough.

Cholesterol is a type of fat that comes from eating certain foods. But your liver also produces cholesterol. Therefore, eating less of it will not be enough. You should also avoid sources of trans fats and saturated fats because they overload your liver.

Diet Mistake # 3: You cut all the fat out of your diet

This is probably one of the most common mistakes people with cholesterol problems make. It is not a good idea to eliminate all foods that contain fat from your diet. Instead, choose the right kind of fat.

Foods contain a mixture of different types of fat: saturated fat, mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated (omega 3 and 6). You should consume as little saturated fat as possible, and increase your consumption of good fats.

Saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease, while unsaturated fats help increase good cholesterol (HDL). This in turn helps protect your arteries. Examples of good fats are avocado, olive oil and nuts.

Diet Mistake # 4: You Swing From One Miracle Diet To The Next

Miracle cures sound like a shortcut to healthy cholesterol levels. The problem is that they are restrictive and limit you to eating only certain categories of nutrients.

This is precisely why many of the people who see quick results end up abandoning the project a few weeks later. Even though they lost a few kilos, they quickly returned to their normal eating habits and ruined all the efforts they had made.

A good diet plan for the purpose of lowering your cholesterol should be a permanent thing. If it only works for a few days, you will quickly return to your high levels and greater weight in no time.

Diet Mistake # 5: You take statins along with grapefruit juice

Doctors often prescribe statins to reduce their patient’s high cholesterol levels. However, drinking grapefruit at the same time is a mistake; it can keep the medicine from being absorbed properly. Yes, it is a healthy, low calorie fruit, but it is not a good idea if you are on statins.

Conclusion

It is very important that you correct your diet mistakes so that your treatment plan will work better. You should also go for regular check-ups because the problem does not always show up through obvious symptoms. But cholesterol is a serious disease that can be devastating to the body.