Ms. Lee is a health-conscious vegetarian who eats a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits every day and never touches meat. Recently, however, she has been feeling lightheaded, and even experiencing dizziness and fatigue, which has left her feeling confused.
During a dinner party with a friend, Ms. Li complained to her friend about her recent physical discomfort. "You are usually a vegetarian, how can you still have this kind of problem?" asked the friend curiously.
Miss Li replied with a wry smile: "I don't understand, I used to think that eating a vegetarian diet can keep me healthy, but recently I always feel that my body is not in the right state. ”
After thinking for a moment, my friend said, "Maybe there's something wrong with your eating habits." I've heard that sweet potatoes are the culprit of high blood lipids, have you been consuming too many sweet potatoes lately?"
Miss Li thought about it for a moment and recalled that she had indeed eaten sweet potatoes many times recently. "Maybe that's really why I have to adjust my diet. ”
Ms. Li decided to change her eating habits by reducing her intake of sweet potatoes and avoiding excessive consumption of foods high in sugar and cholesterol. She began to try to control salt and sugar intake, quit smoking and limit alcohol, and at the same time ensure adequate protein and dietary fiber intake, and arrange her diet reasonably.
A few weeks later, Ms. Li rechecked her blood lipid levels and was pleasantly surprised to find that her blood lipids had returned to normal. "It turns out that health also needs science!" she sighed. By adjusting her eating habits, Ms. Li not only solved her own health problems, but also realized the importance of health preservation.
01Why don't you eat meat, your blood lipids will also increase?
First, let's understand the causes of blood lipids. Blood lipids mainly include cholesterol and triglycerides, and their levels in the human body are affected by a variety of factors, including diet, lifestyle habits, genetics, etc. Diet is one of the most important factors, but it's not the only one.
Vegetarians avoid cholesterol and saturated fatty acids in meat foods, which can help lower blood lipids. However, fat is not only found in meat, other foods such as nuts and vegetable oils are also rich in fat. Some vegetarians may mistakenly believe that these foods are harmless, or even excessive intake, causing fat to be converted into triglycerides in the body and affecting blood lipids.
In addition to diet, lifestyle habits are also one of the important reasons for elevated blood lipids. Sedentary lifestyle, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, irregular work and rest, and emotional instability can all contribute to elevated blood lipids. Therefore, even vegetarians need to take care to control these bad habits in order to maintain healthy blood lipid levels.
02 Sweet potatoes are a "life-booster" for high blood lipids?
Recently, there is a saying circulating on the Internet: sweet potatoes are the culprit of high blood lipids, and regular consumption will lead to increased blood lipids. However, the reality is not so simple. As a nutritious food, sweet potatoes are rich in potassium and dietary fiber, and are a good choice for some patients with chronic diseases, such as hyperuricemia, gout, high blood pressure, etc.
In contrast, there are some other foods that you really need to be wary of, which may cause elevated blood lipids. First of all, high-sugar foods, excessive intake of sugars is one of the important causes of high blood lipids. Excessive sugar intake converts into triglycerides and promotes the synthesis of bad cholesterol, which increases blood lipid levels.
This is followed by foods that are high in cholesterol, such as organ meats and fatty meats. Excessive intake of cholesterol can destabilize LDL, increase cardiovascular burden, and lead to elevated blood lipids.
Finally, there are nut-based foods such as walnuts, almonds, etc. While these nuts are rich in nutrients and help improve blood lipids, excessive intake can increase energy intake, resulting in elevated blood lipids.
03Develop 3 dietary habits to stabilize blood lipids
First of all, reduce salt and sugar, quit smoking and limit alcohol. A high-salt diet can easily lead to high blood pressure, which in turn affects cardiovascular health, while a high-sugar diet can increase triglyceride levels and aggravate blood lipid problems. In addition, tobacco and alcohol intake can also increase triglyceride levels, which in turn affect blood lipid levels, so quitting smoking and limiting alcohol is an important measure to maintain healthy blood lipids.
Second, make sure that you have adequate protein and dietary fiber intake. A varied diet can provide adequate nutrition while preventing malnutrition. There should be no less than 12 types of food consumed daily and no less than 25 types of food consumed per week to ensure balanced nutrition. Protein is necessary for the body's cellular repair and metabolism, while dietary fiber helps promote digestive health and reduce triglyceride synthesis and absorption.
Finally, regulate the fat and cook with less oil. Excessive fat intake can increase energy intake, leading to weight gain and elevated blood lipids. Therefore, when cooking, you should try to use less high-fat methods such as frying or frying, and instead choose low-fat cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, and baking. In addition, some vegetable oils such as olive oil and flaxseed oil are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood lipids.
Through the discussion in this article, we understand that elevated blood lipids are not related to diet alone, but are affected by a combination of factors. Although a vegetarian diet can help reduce cholesterol and saturated fat intake, it does not completely avoid elevated blood lipids, but requires a comprehensive consideration of lifestyle habits, exercise, mental health and other aspects.
Finally, let's take action together, develop good eating habits, pay attention to our health, stay away from the trouble of high blood lipids, and enjoy a healthy and happy life!