Miss Wu, 52 years old, found high blood lipids during a physical examination. The cardiologist advised detailed examination and drug treatment, but Miss Wu believes that controlling diet without medication can also reduce lipids.
So she insisted on a vegetarian diet. After 3 months, she felt weak and palpitations all over her body. She realized the situation was not good and went to see the doctor again. After checking her blood lipids, she found that they were still high, which surprised her greatly.
The doctor told Miss Wu that being a vegetarian does not necessarily lower blood lipids because lipid abnormalities are high levels of cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood, not just because of animal fat intake. Although a vegetarian diet may reduce saturated fat intake, it may also contain high-energy foods such as cooking oil, peanuts, seeds, sugary drinks, and whole milk.
In addition, if vegetarians eat a lot of staple foods, use a lot of oil in cooking, and frequently consume these high-energy foods, it may also lead to obesity, affecting blood lipid levels.
Furthermore, being a vegetarian may result in inadequate intake of certain nutrients, such as B vitamins, which are closely related to the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. If there is insufficient intake of B vitamins, it may lead to disorders in fat metabolism, which is also one of the factors of lipid abnormalities.
How can you effectively lower blood lipids? Paying attention to these 5 points is crucial!
1. Adjust your diet structure.
This means controlling total energy intake, consuming less animal fat, and restricting fat and carbohydrate intake, especially saturated fatty acids (such as lard, butter) and monosaccharides, polysaccharides (such as candies, sweet drinks).
On the contrary, you should consume more unsaturated fatty acids (such as olive oil, fish oil, deep-sea fish, and nuts) and dietary fiber (such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and fungi), and consume adequate amounts of high-quality proteins (such as fish, lean meat, and soybeans).
Pay attention to the minor details in your diet. If your low-density lipoprotein is high, you should consume less fried foods, processed foods, and foods high in cholesterol, such as animal organs, crab roe, fish roe, century eggs, and egg yolks.
2. Quit smoking and drinking
Long-term smoking and excessive drinking can affect your blood lipid levels and may even lead to abnormal liver function.
3. Maintain regular exercise
Engage in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes daily, such as brisk walking, jogging, or swimming, 3 to 5 days a week. In addition, incorporate some resistance exercises such as weightlifting or push-ups to help control weight.
4. Adjust your mindset
It is essential to reduce anxiety and depressive emotions. You can relieve stress through exercise, meditation, or talking with friends.
5. Consider medication if necessary
If blood lipids remain high even after lifestyle adjustments, medication may be an option. Under medical guidance, statins and ezetimibe can be chosen, but regular monitoring of liver function, blood lipids, and blood sugar is essential.
Lastly, it is worth reminding everyone that high blood lipids are potentially more dangerous than high blood pressure to some extent. Measuring blood pressure is very convenient as there are free blood pressure monitors in many places, such as outpatient departments of community hospitals or pharmacies, while measuring high blood lipids requires paying for blood tests, so many people may have high blood lipids without knowing it, thereby neglecting intervention, allowing high blood lipids to potentially harm blood vessels and even trigger atherosclerosis, leading to serious cardiovascular events! Therefore, preventing and treating high blood lipids is something that every one of us should prioritize!
