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Eat Well To Lower Your Cholesterol
Eat Well To Lower Your Cholesterol
Basing your diet on the foods people eat in the Mediterranean is a great way to look after your
heart.
We have known for some time that people living in countries along the Mediterranean appear to
have less heart disease than people living in the UK and northern Europe.
Health professionals now believe that this may be partly due to the foods that make up the
traditional Mediterranean way of eating.
The Mediterranean diet is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish
and unsaturated fats such as olive oil. It usually includes a low intake of meat and dairy foods.
This is now seen as a good way of eating – both for a healthy heart and for general well-being.
The UK’s own eat well guide is made up of similar foods and in similar amounts.
Traditionally, people in the Mediterranean eat...
More fruit and vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals, nuts, pulses (peas, beans
and lentils) and seeds.
Less saturated fat from dairy and red meat sources.
Less alcohol.
More seafood especially oily fish.
Why is a Mediterranean diet good for you?
It's not a low fat diet, but much less of the fat comes from saturated sources like
butter, fatty meats, pastry or dairy fat.
It's rich in monounsaturated fats which are heart healthy, such as olive oil and nuts.
It's a good source of omega 3 fatty acids from seafood, especially oily fish which are
good for your heart health too.
It's rich in potassium, which comes from wholegrain cereals, fruit, vegetables and
nuts.
It's rich in fibre including soluble fibre from wholegrain cereals, vegetables, fruit,
beans and peas.
rich in antioxidants including vitamins E and C, carotenoids and flavonoids.
It's rich in B vitamins including folic acid.
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Lard
Butter, margarine
White bread, pasta, rice
Cornflakes
Sweet biscuits, cakes
Chocolate, crisps
Pastry
Takeaways
Sausages, burgers, fatty meat
High fat cheese, cream, milk
Eat more of these
Have at least five portions of fruit, vegetables and pulses every day.
A portion is roughly a handful.
Eat nuts and seeds each day.
Eat these as snacks, to top cereals and desserts, or add them to recipes.
Have at least two meat free days each week.
Have three portions of wholegrains each day.
Such as wholemeal bread and pasta, wholegrain breakfast cereals, brown rice, oats, pearl
barley.
Have at least two portions of fish or seafood per week.
One of which is oily.