What Is The Diet For High Cholesterol – Cholesterol is a type of fat. Our body makes our own, and we also eat foods that contain cholesterol. Cholesterol is not bad. It helps us digest food, produce hormones, and gives structure to our cell walls. Our bodies have an optimal level of cholesterol.
When we disrupt this balance through things like poor diet, inactivity and chronic stress, we put our body and blood vessels at risk. When your doctor draws your lipid blood panel, they usually look at four things: LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. I’m a visual person (and let’s be real, none of us have time to read long paragraphs), so let’s break this down into a picture:
What Is The Diet For High Cholesterol
A statin is a type of drug that works to lower your cholesterol by blocking the enzyme involved in your body’s own cholesterol production.
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As with all medications, statins come with some side effects. The most common symptom is muscle pain/pain, which occurs in about 5 percent of people on a statin (1). Other less common side effects include increased blood sugar, inflammation in the liver and confusion (2). Unfortunately, statins are also known to reduce levels of coenzyme q10 in the body, which is involved in many nerve and muscle pathways (3).
Statins can improve some cholesterol levels and may reduce the risk of a heart attack (4). Doctors may recommend a statin for reasons such as family history/risk, for example. For most of us though, statins don’t address the most common cause… an unhealthy lifestyle! Improving diet, exercise and stress can reduce your risk of heart attack by up to 80 percent (5)!
My point in saying this is not to repeat you and nix your statins. Instead, it is SO IMPORTANT to understand that we cannot take a drug and call it good. We need to make lifestyle modifications our primary focus to make REAL change in our health!
It is important to address the ROOT cause of your high cholesterol levels. For most people, this means improving your diet and lifestyle. These 7 interventions can put you on the fast track to improved cholesterol levels and more importantly…a healthier heart!!
Why Is My Cholesterol High? Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
Cold water fish have two fatty acids, abbreviated EPA and DHA. These are a type of omega-3 fat. EPA/DHA has extremely effective anti-inflammatory properties (6). and has been shown to significantly lower triglycerides in many large evaluation studies (7).
The best types of fish to get in your EPA/DHA are salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and albacore tuna. Try to aim for 4 oz of fish at least twice a week. If you don’t eat fish regularly, you may want to take a fish oil tablet. I usually recommend at least 1000 mg/day total EPA + DHA to start, but you may need more if your triglycerides are excessively high. Talk to your doctor about this.
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Fiber can bind cholesterol and help eliminate it, effectively lowering total and LDL cholesterol (8). We need at least 30 grams of fiber per day. The average American eats only about 14 grams of fiber per day. All types of fiber are good for your heart and arteries, but soluble fiber is especially helpful in lowering cholesterol.
Delicious Smoothies To Lower Cholesterol
Sugar is a major driver of high cholesterol and inflammation (9). A great place to start reducing sugar is to limit sugary drinks. This includes soda, Kool-Aid, lemonade, energy drinks, etc. This ALSO includes juice and pre-bottled smoothie drinks.
Smoothie drinks like Naked can have as much sugar as a can of Coke. “BUT it’s sugar of course!”. True – the sources of sugar come from fruit. But, excessive amounts of even natural sugar still affect our blood sugar levels. A better option (besides keeping water) is to make a smoothie at home. For your smoothie, keep the fruit to 1 cup, and include good sources of protein and healthy fats for a more balanced mix.
So long is the low-fat diet. Lower-carb diets with higher sources of healthy fats can help lower triglycerides while raising HDL (10, 11). The majority of your fats should come from mono- and polyunsaturated fats: nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, etc. These fats can provide more satiety (fullness), and help balance blood sugar, which in turn reduces your tendency to eat sugar. food. Pay less attention to calorie levels, and instead focus on eating REAL food (fewer ingredients, and less processed).
Physical activity is the number one thing you can do to raise your HDL (the good). This doesn’t mean you have to join a gym! Walking is an extremely effective method of losing weight and improving cholesterol. Do you have a husband, boyfriend or furry companion who can hold you accountable? This keeps you motivated. Small targeting is also helpful in this scenario. If walking doesn’t toot your horn, find something you enjoy (cycling, swimming, rock climbing, etc.). Exercise is to honor your body, not punish it.
Top 25 Foods That Helps You To Reduce Your Cholesterol Levels
Only 50% of Americans eat enough magnesium (12). This powerhouse mineral has tons of benefits in the body. Specifically, magnesium has been shown to lower CRP, a protein that increases when your body is inflamed (13). Since high cholesterol and heart health is highly associated with inflammation – this will only help you.
Dark leafy greens, organic dark chocolate, almonds, toasted sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, black beans, avocado, bananas.
When people think of vitamin K, most people think of vitamin K1, which helps with blood clotting. It’s forgotten sibling, vitamin K2, helps remove calcium build-up from the arteries (14). Although this vitamin cannot directly lower cholesterol, the calcium build-up is a key component of artery-clogging plaque. Good sources of vitamin K2 include hard cheeses with whole milk, egg yolks, chicken breast, beef, butter and liver. Grass-fed animals contain higher levels of vitamin K2 compared to grain-fed animals.
You may notice that the best sources of vitamin K2 also contain saturated fat, which has been blamed for causing heart disease since the 1970s. This recommendation is quite controversial in the medical community. A large review of nearly 350,000 people followed over 20 years showed a lack of evidence linking saturated fat with the development of heart disease (15).
Have High Cholesterol? 5 Best And Worst Foods To Help Manage It
Although saturated fat shouldn’t be the main source of fat in your diet, don’t be afraid to add these vitamin K2 powerhouses because of the saturated fat content. Most importantly, make sure your K2 sources are high-quality, grass-fed and pasture-raised animal sources. But as always, plants should still be the main part of our food.
For years, medical professionals have told people to avoid eggs because of their cholesterol content (and many still do). I see it quite often, patients come to me and have replaced their protein-rich egg breakfast for a cold cereal higher in sugar and less protein.
The effect of the cholesterol we eat on the cholesterol content in our blood is not strong (16). In fact, the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans even removed their cholesterol restriction in 2015. We shouldn’t be eating 5-egg omelets with highly processed meat every day. But, 1-2 eggs paired with high fiber foods (such as beans, sautéed vegetables, avocado, etc.) can be a healthy breakfast option to keep us satisfied until our next meal or snack.
Working through all this information can be tricky. I’ve created a free 7-day meal plan full of heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory foods. Get your copy below!Cholesterol is often labeled as something very dangerous. But did you know that your body actually requires cholesterol and that it is not inherently bad?
The Highs And Lows Of Cholesterol — What You Need To Know
Cholesterol is an integral part of healthy cells in your body. It’s a waxy substance – known as a lipid – that moves through your body via your blood. Cholesterol helps form cell membranes that protect the contents of every cell in your body. It is also used in the production of bile, which is critical for digestion. In addition, your body requires cholesterol to produce vitamin D as well as various hormones.
Your liver produces the optimal amount of cholesterol your body needs for these functions. However, the food you eat also contributes to the production of cholesterol. This means that depending on what you eat, there could be an excess of cholesterol in your body, and this could cause health problems. Read on to learn more about how the food you eat affects cholesterol levels, the dangers of high cholesterol, and how you can reduce cholesterol through your diet.
As you know, your body produces all the cholesterol it needs. If you eat a diet that is rich in foods that also increase the production of cholesterol, it poses a danger to your health. Broadly speaking, meat, dairy and foods high in saturated and trans fats can cause high cholesterol levels.
When this happens, the amount of cholesterol traveling through your bloodstream increases dramatically. Cholesterol can form deposits on the walls of your arteries, restricting blood flow. Over time, this contributes to high blood pressure. In some cases, these deposits
