How to Lower Your Cholesterol with Food
High cholesterol levels can put you at higher risk of heart attacks and strokes, so keeping your levels within a healthy range is important for your overall health. The foods you eat can have a big impact on your cholesterol levels. Some foods, like those high in saturated fats, can increase the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood, whereas other foods can help lower your cholesterol levels.
In this guide, we explain how to lower your cholesterol with food so you can take proactive steps to reduce your levels.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of blood fat mainly made in the liver but is also found in some foods.
Often cholesterol is considered ‘bad’, but it is necessary in all our body’s cells and is vital for brain, nerves, and skin health. Its three main jobs include:
- Making up part of the outer layer or membrane of all body cells
- Making vitamin D and steroid hormones, which help to keep bones, teeth, and muscles healthy
- Making bile, which helps to digest the fats we eat
There are two main types of cholesterol: low-density and high-density cholesterol. Low-density (LDL) cholesterol is also known as ‘bad’ cholesterol because too much of it leads to a build-up of fatty deposits inside the walls of blood vessels, which can increase your risk of heart and stroke.
High-density (HDL) cholesterol is known as ‘good’ cholesterol as it removes LDL cholesterol from the blood by transporting it to the liver, where it is broken down and removed from the body.
What causes high cholesterol?
Multiple factors can contribute to high cholesterol levels. Some of these factors are non-modifiable, like your genes, age, or ethnicity, which means you can’t do anything to change them.
But other factors are modifiable, so you can take proactive steps to help reduce your cholesterol levels. Non-modifiable factors causing high cholesterol levels can include:
- A high intake of foods containing saturated and trans fats, like fatty meats, butter, cream, ice cream, palm oil, fried foods, and lots of ultra-processed foods like commercially baked goods
- A low intake of cholesterol-lowering foods, like healthy fats (avocados, nuts, seeds, olives and fish), can increase your levels of HDL cholesterol
- A low fibre intake, as foods high in dietary fibre can reduce your LDL cholesterol levels
- A sedentary lifestyle
- Being overweight or obese
- Smoking
- Excessive drinking
- Some medical conditions
Foods that affect your cholesterol and heart health
The foods we eat can affect our cholesterol levels and heart health. Some foods, like those high in saturated or trans fat, are naturally high in LDL cholesterol, so they should only be eaten occasionally. Examples of foods that can increase your LDL cholesterol levels include fatty meats, commercially baked goods, butter and cream. It is also important to minimise foods high in sugar, like biscuits, cakes, chocolate, and fizzy drinks. These contain lots of calories but little nutritional value, which can lead to weight gain, which can increase your risk of developing high cholesterol.
The best diet to reduce cholesterol levels is a heart-healthy diet, which includes:
- Vegetables, fruits and wholegrains
- Lean protein-rich foods, such as fish, legumes, nuts and seeds
- Unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese
- Healthy fats and oils
- Herbs used to flavour foods instead of salt
- Eating heart-healthy healthy food also ensures you get enough fibre in your diet, which can help to reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol circulating in your blood.
How do you lower cholesterol with diet?
Following a cholesterol-lowering diet can help you to reduce your cholesterol levels. This can include making small changes to your diet, like swapping foods high in saturated fats like butter for healthier vegetable-based spreads or including foods known to help reduce your cholesterol levels in your diet. Below, we share some of the best foods to eat if you want to follow a diet to lower your cholesterol:
Unsaturated fats
Low-fat foods are the first thing you should eat to lower your cholesterol, but your body needs some fat to function properly, so including healthier unsaturated fats in your diet can be beneficial. This includes plant oils, like olive oil, nuts and avocados.
Oats and barley
Both oats and barley contain a type of soluble fibre known as beta-glucans. This forms a gel in the gut that helps prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into the body. Eating approximately 3g a day of beta-glucans can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. In dietary terms, a 40g serving of oats contains around 1.4g of beta-glucans, so you should aim for two to three servings of oats or barley daily.
Good ways to include more oats and barley into your diet include switching rice for barley in risottos, having porridge or muesli made with oats for breakfast, and snacking on oatcakes instead of wheat-based crackers.
Beans and lentils
Legumes like beans and lentils are a good source of soluble fibre, which can help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels. However, they are also relatively high in protein, so they are a healthier cholesterol choice than processed meat protein sources.
To include more beans and lentils in your diet, try using the tinned varieties, as they are more convenient, especially when you’re in a hurry. Add them to salads, soups, and stews to boost your fibre and protein intake, and don’t forget that baked beans count too.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds are a good source of unsaturated fats as well as being high in fibre and other nutrients. Nuts butters are a good way to include more nuts into your diet as they can make a tasty alternative to high-sugar snacks like chocolate, cakes and biscuits, which are all high in saturated fats. Make sure you choose nut butters that contain no added salt.
Fruits and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are high in a range of nutrients and are a good source of both insoluble and soluble fibre, which can help reduce your cholesterol levels. Many fruits and vegetables are also low in calories, meaning they can help you maintain a healthy weight, which can be important for controlling your cholesterol.
Fresh, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetables all count, so try to incorporate them into every meal.
Other tips for naturally lowering your cholesterol
As well as the above foods, if you are trying to follow a cholesterol-lowering diet you can also try these tips:
- Swap to eating wholegrain bread, cereals, pasta, rice and noodles for an easy way to increase your fibre intake.
- Snack on plain unsalted nuts and fruits during the day instead of commercially produced goods like biscuits and crisps.
- Use avocado or nuts butters as an alternative to butter or other spreads high in saturated fats.
- If you already have high cholesterol you should eat a maximum of seven eggs each week.
- If you have high cholesterol opt for reduced-fat milks, yoghurt and cheeses.
- Limit or avoid processed meats, like sausages, ham and bacon.
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