Nowadays, more and more people are being diagnosed with high blood lipids. So what is high blood lipids? In simple terms, it means that the amount of fat in the blood of the human body is too high, exceeding the normal range, and poses a risk to human health. Therefore, many patients with high blood lipids often choose not to eat meat in order to lower their blood lipids, and instead try to eat more vegetarian food. However, regularly consuming vegetarian food may not necessarily be beneficial in lowering blood lipids and some vegetarian foods, if consumed frequently, may even cause a greater increase in blood lipids than eating fatty meat.
Let’s share a case with everyone. Mr. Li, 58 years old, has already retired and now spends most of his days at home watching TV, watering flowers, occasionally playing chess with friends in the neighborhood – life couldn’t be more comfortable. However, about half a year ago, Mr. Li started experiencing occasional dizziness and other discomforts. Even after a good night’s sleep, he still felt very weak and lacked energy the next day.
Later, under his children’s urging, Mr. Li went to the hospital for a check-up only to find out that he had high blood lipids. Since his condition was not severe and his blood lipid levels were not very high, the doctor advised him to pay more attention to dietary adjustments at home, combine it with exercise for complementary treatment, and come back for a recheck after some time to see if his blood lipids levels have decreased.
From then on, Mr. Li hardly ate meat anymore, mostly opting for vegetarian food. After three months, he went back to the hospital for a follow-up, hoping that his blood lipids would have decreased. To his surprise, his blood lipid levels were even higher than before. The doctor informed him that the problem lied in his usual consumption of vegetarian food. The doctor advised Mr. Li that regularly consuming vegetarian food may not necessarily help in lowering blood lipids, and there are three types of “vegetarian foods” that are particularly “lipid-boosting” and should be consumed less frequently.
1. Pickled Vegetables
If one consumes pickled vegetables frequently, it can easily have a negative impact on the normal function of the blood vessels. These foods often have a high salt content, causing an increase in the osmotic pressure in blood vessels, which leads to cell hardening reactions in the blood vessel walls. Nitrite components can also stimulate and interfere with the function of blood vessels to some extent, accelerating the pathological process of blood vessels and worsening the symptoms of high blood lipids.
2. Eggplant
Eggplant itself does not directly increase the blood lipid levels in the body, but it absorbs oil very easily. If people habitually use a lot of oil when cooking eggplant, although it enhances the taste and flavor of the dish, it can also lead to exceeding the oil intake limit. This can be even more harmful to blood lipid management than consuming fatty meat, so for patients with high blood lipids, it is advisable to consume eggplant with less oil.
3. Potatoes
Potatoes are a common staple in households, but because most people consider potatoes as vegetables, they unknowingly pose a health risk. Potatoes have a very high starch content. If they are consumed as a side dish alongside the main course, it is equivalent to consuming two main dish servings. Prolonged consumption in this manner can lead to an excessive intake of starch, which in the body gets digested and absorbed, turning into fat and hindering effective blood lipid management for high blood lipid patients.
[This article is exclusively produced by “Golden Orchid Medicine” new media. Author: Zi Yi. Unauthorized reproduction or copying is prohibited.]
