With the Christmas season fast approaching, many will be enjoying a break from their healthy diets to enjoy the best part of the festivities - the food and drink.
If you’re prone to high cholesterol, it will be important not to overdo it on certain types of party foods.
Sarah Keogh, Coeliac Society of Ireland nutritionist and dietitian spoke to the Irish Mirror about how to navigate the next few weeks of indulgence.
“One of the great things about Christmas is the food and it's no harm to really enjoy all the nice things,” she said.
“If you do have high cholesterol, it can be something to keep an eye on.”
The main foods Sarah says to watch for are:
- chocolate
- cream
- butter
- Biscuits
- cakes
- pastries
- Sausages
- black and white pudding
- pate
If you've been tasked with bringing your cholesterol down over the next few weeks by your doctor, Ms. Keogh says; “Limiting the foods that are mentioned above will help.
“You can also add in oats, flaxseed/linseed, eat more nuts and seeds in general.
“Barley *(although barley has gluten so it is not suitable for people with coeliac disease) and beans and lentils also help to reduce cholesterol so it's great to add those foods in when you can.”
If you’re unsure about whether or not you have high cholesterol, Sarah says; “Physically, there are rarely any physical signs of high cholesterol - you do need to get cholesterol checked with your GP.
“Sometimes people can develop little white nodules or lumps around their eyes and eyelids but this can have other causes - and I wouldn't wait for them to show up before I got my cholesterol checked.”
One particular warning the Irish nutritionist has is that Coeliacs in Ireland need to be hyper-aware of their Cholesterol.
"Changes in the body due to coeliac disease means that lots of people do have higher cholesterol than the general population,” she explained.
“This is because coeliac disease also affects the liver, which is the part of the body that actually makes cholesterol.”
