Question

Nandipa wishes to maintain her heart health, strictly follows a plant-based diet, and has successfully maintained her blood level of LDL, "bad" cholesterol, at well within the range considered optimal for heart health. But she is worried that her blood level of HDL, "good" cholesterol, is lower than is often considered optimal for heart health, and has thus considered consuming foods such as chicken or fish that would increase her blood level of this beneficial substance.

Answer 1

Answer:

Yes, Predominantly fish is very good source of HDL cholesterol and omega-3-fatty acid. Chicken is also good as it contains less saturated fats as compared to red meat and can be taken.

Explanation:

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is good as it serves to remove extra cholesterol and prevents plague build-up in arteries. It sends bad LDL cholesterol to the liver from where it is expelled out. Ideal HDL levels in blood are 60 mg/dL and above and HDL levels below 40 mg/dL are considered low. Red meats have more saturated fats than chicken and shall be avoided by Nandipa. The unsaturated fats in fish are highly recommended for raising HDL levels and fishes also contain omega-3-fatty acids which reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. As far as chicken is concerned, the breast meat of chicken has least amount of cholesterol and saturated fats. Hence, breast meat is also considered healthy eating in cholesterol patients.