Best Things To Lower Cholesterol – Many of us dread doctor’s appointments, even when we love our doctors. This is especially true if we’ve been encouraged to change our diet and exercise regimen, but haven’t made much progress. Hey, it happens. You blink and another year has passed. But those yearly checkups and tweaks to our self-care are pretty important, particularly if we’re dealing with one of the most common issues people face today: high cholesterol.
You might be confused about the true impact of cholesterol on heart health because there’s been a lot of hype about it lately, so I teamed up with Jen Reilly, our R.D. resident, to bring you more facts on this rather hot topic.
Best Things To Lower Cholesterol
Cholesterol was considered the sole determinant of heart disease risk. However, researchers have now realized that cholesterol is only one piece of the puzzle (with triglycerides, blood pressure, obesity and diabetes being some of the other pieces) (study).
A Cardiologist Shares The 5 Foods She Eats Every Day To Lower Cholesterol—and Keep A ‘healthy Heart’
A low-fat diet was recommended for lowering cholesterol and preventing heart disease. Dietary recommendations have now changed and focus on making sure you’re getting enough omega-3 fats, which can raise good cholesterol, while avoiding trans fats and limiting saturated fat, which can raise bad cholesterol.
Some researchers and diet experts have started downplaying the role of saturated fat when it comes to heart disease risk and cholesterol levels (research article). However, their conclusions are based on observational studies, which are not so reliable when it comes to showing definitive cause and effect. Saturated fat (and especially animal fat) is still only part of the heart disease equation, but it should be limited if you want to keep your heart and other parts of your body healthy.
New to the party of heart disease risk is sugar. Research now points to avoiding simple carbohydrates and added sugars, especially added fructose, as it increases triglyceride levels and other risk factors for heart disease (study). The good news is that many of the recommendations for heart health are still the same: lots of plant-based foods, fiber, maintain a healthy weight, exercise, and avoid smoking, of course!
But the fact remains that over 102 million adults in the United States have high cholesterol. That’s a lot of people! While cholesterol isn’t the only indicator of heart disease, it’s still important (study) because it can increase the risk of a buildup in artery walls.
How To Lower Triglycerides With Lifestyle Changes
So here are the three main warning signs your doctor is looking for when monitoring your cholesterol: 1. A low level of good cholesterol (HDL) relative to your total cholesterol level. 2. Bad cholesterol which contains many of the riskiest small and dense particles (there are three types of particles and the smallest is not good for the heart). 3. High Triglycerides (Cousin of Cholesterol) (study, study and study). This can lead to blockages and a heart attack or stroke, not something we want to mess with.
In addition to what we’ve discussed above, here are a few other ways you can adjust your food choices to prevent high cholesterol and heart disease.
Hopefully, your doctor has mentioned that food choices, exercise, and weight management can have powerful effects on your cholesterol and triglycerides. If not, see if it will give you a 6 month chance to make changes and retest your levels before prescribing statins. It usually takes about 6 months for your body to react to dietary changes, so be patient and persistent.
You’ve probably heard the typical advice when it comes to keeping your arteries clean. Eat more vegetables. Stay away from too much saturated animal fat, trans fat and fried foods. Limit sweets and simple carbohydrates which will raise your triglycerides (and possibly raise the worst kind of bad cholesterol). Maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress and exercise. When it comes to the dietary portion of your plan, there are a few additional changes you can make to boost your artery-clearing power.
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To make these tips even easier for you, I’ve created a handy chart with my top 5 cholesterol-lowering recipe substitutions below.
If you’re looking to lower your cholesterol and boost your heart health, I hope you have a better understanding of cholesterol’s role in your overall well-being and how you can take a proactive role in keeping it in a healthy range.
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Want to look your best and feel your best? It starts right here – it’s the ultimate guide to living and eating Crazy Sexy (delicious recipes included!). You may have heard that eating certain foods is bad for your health as they increase the fat content in your body and increase your chances of getting a heart attack, for example, fast food. The same also applies to healthy meals, for example eating cholesterol-lowering foods helps maintain low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and reduce weight.
Day Low Cholesterol Diet Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories
Eating just 15 g of soy flour a day can help you reduce your cholesterol levels by up to 6%. Examples include soy beans, soy milk and tofu. Other health benefits of soy foods include being a source of Omega-3s, fiber and protein.
Cholesterol-lowering foods are not limited to just main meals, but can also include breakfast. Oats are a healthy way to start the day. A bowl of oats gives you 2 grams of fiber and lowers LDL levels. To spice up the combo, you can add some fruit to your oatmeal and boost your fiber levels by at least 1 gram.
Plant sterols or stanols are generally found in vegetable oils, whole grains, seeds, fruits, nuts and vegetables. There are also prescription medications for plant sterols and stanols as some people cannot get sufficient nutrients from natural sources. Typically, consuming 1.5 to 2.5 g of plant sterols or stanols lowers cholesterol by between 7 and 10%.
Beans and peas are rich in fiber and take longer to digest. As a result, you end up feeling full for long periods. This effect makes beans the perfect meal for people trying to lose weight because it prevents them from eating all the time. A plate of cooked beans and peas reduces LDL levels by up to 5%.
Ldl Cholesterol: What It Is & How To Lower It
Foods that lower cholesterol also include fruit and vegetables. Any fruit or vegetable you eat is low in saturated fat, which helps keep LDL levels at the prescribed minimum. Additionally, fruits and vegetables contain fiber that prevents the digestive tract from absorbing cholesterol.
When it comes to cholesterol-lowering foods, there’s a special group of fruits that includes apples, citrus fruits, grapes, and strawberries. These fruits contain pectin, which is a special type of water-soluble fiber that holds cholesterol together in the stomach and prevents it from entering the bloodstream and clogging arteries.
Eating almonds, peanuts and walnuts contains high levels of unsaturated fats, fiber, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, plant proteins and natural sterols, which help keep the heart healthy. Additionally, taking 2 ounces of walnuts reduces LDL levels by 5%.
Eggplant and okra contain large amounts of soluble fiber which prevents the body from absorbing LDL. Research has shown that regular intake of aubergines can help reduce bad cholesterol levels by up to 30%. Eggplant and okra are also used by people with diabetes to lower blood sugar levels.
How To Lower Cholesterol With Diet: Medlineplus
There are two ways fish lowers LDL levels: First, it eliminates LDL-raising saturated fats and produces omega-3 fats which are a source of healthy cholesterol. Omega-3s also reduce blood triglycerides and improve heart health.
Avocados are a good source of monounsaturated fats that help raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. HDL is a form of cholesterol that carries bad cholesterol away from the arteries and to the liver, where it undergoes chemical breakdown and is released from the body.
A low cholesterol diet needs you to be flexible, you don’t have to eat all of the above foods at once or limit yourself to one meal for the rest of your life. Try mixing different foods and work with them on a daily basis.
The preferred low-cholesterol diet contains high levels of fruits and vegetables and the occasional fish. Also, remember to follow the diet if you want it to be effective.
Cholesterol Lowering Foods: Garlic, Onion, And More
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