How to Treat Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Cut back on fat., Reduce your meat intake., Eat more fiber., Give fruits pride of place., Moderate your alcohol intake., Exercise regularly., Do not push yourself too hard., Burn excess calories.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Cut back on fat.
If you have FH, the total fat in your diet should be cut back to no more than 30% of your daily caloric intake.
For instance, if you consume 1,800 calories per day, you should get no more than 600 calories from fat.Reduce or eliminate fatty foods like meat, milk, cheese, egg yolk, and oils (especially coconut oil and palm oil).
Swap full-fat foods for low-fat options.Replace butter, for instance, with cooking oil spray, a bit of margarine, or canola oil.
Eliminate trans fat from your diet.
Foods containing trans fats include most cakes, pies, cookies, biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, margarine, microwave popcorn, crackers, fried fast foods, and doughnuts. -
Step 2: Reduce your meat intake.
Meat — especially pork, lamb, and beef — are high in fat.
Eliminate meat altogether or go for leaner cuts like the eye of round and pork tenderloin.
If you see fat on your meat — a white, squishy substance that often clings to the meat’s surface — trim it off before eating.Reduce your portion sizes to cut down on meat. 3 ounces — about the size of a deck of cards — is more than adequate.
Instead of meat, try eating beans, carrots, potatoes, and other vegetables.
To get started on leaving meat behind, try a “meatless Monday.” On Mondays, avoid eating meat altogether.
Once you’ve successfully left meat aside one day per week, increase your meatless days to twice weekly.
For instance, you might leave meat out of your meals on Monday and Wednesday.
After that, expand to a third day.
Continue in this way until you’ve completely eliminated meat from your diet. , Fiber can reduce your risk of heart disease, a common side effect of FH.
Foods high in fiber include nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, veggies, and fruits.
For instance, you might swap a snack like potato chips for one like crisp apple slices or carrot sticks.Fruits with high fiber levels include blackberries, grapefruits, apples, bananas, pears, and oranges.
Legumes with high fiber levels include peas, lentils, edamame, black beans, and kidney beans.
Grains with high fiber levels include hulled barley, oats, quinoa, bulgur, and whole wheat breads and pasta. , Research shows that if health foods are close at hand, you are more likely to consume them.
Put fruits that do not require refrigeration in a central location on your kitchen counter.
For instance, oranges, bananas, melons, papayas, and persimmons could be arranged attractively in a wooden bowl and placed on your counter., Drinking too much alcohol could boost your triglyceride level.
Since you’re already at increased risk of high triglyceride levels due to your FH, you should take pains to limit pushing your levels over the edge with excess alcohol consumption.Excess alcohol consumption is also linked to weight gain and obesity, both of which you should protect yourself against if you have FH.
Moderate daily alcohol intake for men is no more than two drinks per day.
Moderate intake for women is no more than one drink per day.Remember, these are not daily recommendations.
Alcohol consumption is not recommended.
If you don’t drink alcohol now, don’t start. , Regular exercise — especially with the goal of losing weight — is crucial for fighting FH.
Doctors recommend at least
2.5 hours of exercise per week.There are many varieties of exercise that could help you, including running, swimming, weight-lifting, and walking.If you have not exercised in a while or if you are overweight, start small and work your way up to a more intense exercise.
For instance, walk for about 10 minutes per day at a brisk pace.
After a week or so, increase your walk to 15 minutes at the same pace.
After another week, add another five minutes to your workout.
Continue in this way until you’re pressing yourself and feel tired when you’re done. , Everyone has a different physical limit.
If you exercise at a rate or frequency beyond what you are physically capable of doing, you could injure yourself.
Listen to your body to identify what your limit is.
If you find you’re unable to lift a certain weight, do not try to lift even more.
If you’re panting or gasping for air at the end of a workout, you might be pushing yourself too hard and risking injury., To lose weight through exercising, you need to burn more calories than you consume daily.
If you’re consuming 1,800 calories each day but expending only 1,500 calories each day, you will not lose weight.
If you’re burning 2,000 calories each day but consuming only 1,800 calories, you will lose weight.Use a fitness tracker like FitBit or an app like MyFitnessPal to monitor how many calories you’re taking in against how many calories you’re expending each day. -
Step 3: Eat more fiber.
-
Step 4: Give fruits pride of place.
-
Step 5: Moderate your alcohol intake.
-
Step 6: Exercise regularly.
-
Step 7: Do not push yourself too hard.
-
Step 8: Burn excess calories.
Detailed Guide
If you have FH, the total fat in your diet should be cut back to no more than 30% of your daily caloric intake.
For instance, if you consume 1,800 calories per day, you should get no more than 600 calories from fat.Reduce or eliminate fatty foods like meat, milk, cheese, egg yolk, and oils (especially coconut oil and palm oil).
Swap full-fat foods for low-fat options.Replace butter, for instance, with cooking oil spray, a bit of margarine, or canola oil.
Eliminate trans fat from your diet.
Foods containing trans fats include most cakes, pies, cookies, biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, margarine, microwave popcorn, crackers, fried fast foods, and doughnuts.
Meat — especially pork, lamb, and beef — are high in fat.
Eliminate meat altogether or go for leaner cuts like the eye of round and pork tenderloin.
If you see fat on your meat — a white, squishy substance that often clings to the meat’s surface — trim it off before eating.Reduce your portion sizes to cut down on meat. 3 ounces — about the size of a deck of cards — is more than adequate.
Instead of meat, try eating beans, carrots, potatoes, and other vegetables.
To get started on leaving meat behind, try a “meatless Monday.” On Mondays, avoid eating meat altogether.
Once you’ve successfully left meat aside one day per week, increase your meatless days to twice weekly.
For instance, you might leave meat out of your meals on Monday and Wednesday.
After that, expand to a third day.
Continue in this way until you’ve completely eliminated meat from your diet. , Fiber can reduce your risk of heart disease, a common side effect of FH.
Foods high in fiber include nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, veggies, and fruits.
For instance, you might swap a snack like potato chips for one like crisp apple slices or carrot sticks.Fruits with high fiber levels include blackberries, grapefruits, apples, bananas, pears, and oranges.
Legumes with high fiber levels include peas, lentils, edamame, black beans, and kidney beans.
Grains with high fiber levels include hulled barley, oats, quinoa, bulgur, and whole wheat breads and pasta. , Research shows that if health foods are close at hand, you are more likely to consume them.
Put fruits that do not require refrigeration in a central location on your kitchen counter.
For instance, oranges, bananas, melons, papayas, and persimmons could be arranged attractively in a wooden bowl and placed on your counter., Drinking too much alcohol could boost your triglyceride level.
Since you’re already at increased risk of high triglyceride levels due to your FH, you should take pains to limit pushing your levels over the edge with excess alcohol consumption.Excess alcohol consumption is also linked to weight gain and obesity, both of which you should protect yourself against if you have FH.
Moderate daily alcohol intake for men is no more than two drinks per day.
Moderate intake for women is no more than one drink per day.Remember, these are not daily recommendations.
Alcohol consumption is not recommended.
If you don’t drink alcohol now, don’t start. , Regular exercise — especially with the goal of losing weight — is crucial for fighting FH.
Doctors recommend at least
2.5 hours of exercise per week.There are many varieties of exercise that could help you, including running, swimming, weight-lifting, and walking.If you have not exercised in a while or if you are overweight, start small and work your way up to a more intense exercise.
For instance, walk for about 10 minutes per day at a brisk pace.
After a week or so, increase your walk to 15 minutes at the same pace.
After another week, add another five minutes to your workout.
Continue in this way until you’re pressing yourself and feel tired when you’re done. , Everyone has a different physical limit.
If you exercise at a rate or frequency beyond what you are physically capable of doing, you could injure yourself.
Listen to your body to identify what your limit is.
If you find you’re unable to lift a certain weight, do not try to lift even more.
If you’re panting or gasping for air at the end of a workout, you might be pushing yourself too hard and risking injury., To lose weight through exercising, you need to burn more calories than you consume daily.
If you’re consuming 1,800 calories each day but expending only 1,500 calories each day, you will not lose weight.
If you’re burning 2,000 calories each day but consuming only 1,800 calories, you will lose weight.Use a fitness tracker like FitBit or an app like MyFitnessPal to monitor how many calories you’re taking in against how many calories you’re expending each day.
About the Author
Daniel Rodriguez
Writer and educator with a focus on practical creative arts knowledge.
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