Has your doctor told you that you have high cholesterol? If so, you might be wondering how to lower your cholesterol. In this article we’ll go through dietary changes, lifestyle changes and medications which can help you to lower your cholesterol.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of fat that your body needs to make hormones, vitamin D and the membranes of your cells.
Most of the cholesterol in your body is made in your liver. Only a very small amount of cholesterol comes from the food you eat. The cholesterol you get from your food does not have much of an impact on your body’s cholesterol levels.
Types of cholesterol
When doctors talk about cholesterol they are usually talking about two specific types of cholesterol found in your body. These are LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.
Low density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol) is what we call the ‘bad’ cholesterol. If you have high levels of LDL cholesterol it can build up in your arteries and cause a blockage. High LDL cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of heart problems and stroke.
High density lipoprotein (HDL cholesterol) is known as the ‘good’ cholesterol. If you have good amounts of HDL cholesterol it can help to reduce your LDL cholesterol levels.
If your LDL cholesterol is too high then it’s important to make changes to your diet, your lifestyle and start medication if your doctor recommends it. These changes will help you to get your LDL cholesterol back into the normal range. You should also try to increase your HDL cholesterol at the same time.
How to lower your cholesterol: diet changes
Reduce saturated and trans-fats
Saturated fat and trans-fat are types of fats found in many foods.
Diets high in saturated fat and trans-fat are associated with high levels of LDL cholesterol. If you have high LDL cholesterol we recommend that you reduce sources of saturated and trans-fats in your diet like:
Deep fried foods
Baked goods
Butter
Cream
Bacon
Full fat mince
Sausages and burger patties
Fatty cuts of steak
Chicken skin
Coconut oil
Palm oil
Full cream dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt)
Increase healthy fats
Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are known as the ‘healthy’ fats.
They play an important role in keeping your cholesterol levels within a healthy range. If you have high cholesterol levels we recommend increasing your intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Foods high in monounsaturated fat include:
Olives and olive oil
Olive oil spread
Avocados
Nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans, peanuts)
Foods high in polyunsaturated fat include:
Oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna)
Sunflower and canola oil
Nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, pecans)
Seeds (chia seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds)
Tahini
Canola or sunflower spread
Eat more soluble fibre:
Soluble fibre is a type of complex, non-digestible carbohydrate found in plants. It is not digested by your body and so it passes straight through your digestive system.
Studies show that eating a diet high in soluble fibre can lower LDL cholesterol levels by 5-10%. If you have high LDL cholesterol we recommend increasing sources of soluble fibre in your diet like:
Oats
Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)
Apples
Flax seeds
Psyllium
Kellogg’s Guardian cereal
Consume plant sterols
Plant sterols are substances found in plants that have a structure very similar to cholesterol. They can lower LDL cholesterol levels by 7.5-12% if they are eaten in adequate amounts. We recommend consuming 2-3 grams of plant sterols per day if you have high LDL cholesterol.
Small amounts of plant sterols are found in some fruits, vegetables, nuts and cereals. Higher concentrations are found in some fortified spreads, low-fat milks and breakfast cereals such as:
Flora ProActiv spreads
Table Lands reduce cholesterol spread
Woolworths cholesterol lowering spread
Dairy Farmers Heart Active milk
Weetbix cholesterol lowering
Sultana Bran cholesterol lowering
Carman’s cholesterol lowering oats
How to lower cholesterol: lifestyle
Increase physical activity
Aerobic physical activity is any form of exercise which gets your heart pumping over an extended period of time. Aerobic physical activity can increase HDL cholesterol levels if it is performed for adequate durations regularly.
If you are between 18 and 64 years old you should aim for 30-60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 15-30 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity most days.
If you are aged 65 years or older you should aim for 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most days.
Aerobic activities include:
Brisk walking
Cycling
Jogging
Running
Swimming
Playing sports
Dancing or Zumba class
Elliptical machine
Rowing
Climbing stairs
Skipping
Hiking
Stop smoking
Smoking reduces your HDL cholesterol and can damage the lining of your blood vessels. Cholesterol accumulates in these damaged blood vessels forming plaque and this can increase your risk of a blockage or a blood clot.
If you smoke and have high LDL cholesterol you should consider quitting.
Lose weight if you are overweight
Losing a small amount of weight if you are overweight can help to reduce your LDL cholesterol levels. Studies show that overweight and obese adults who intentionally lost 5-10% of their total body weight saw a reduction in their LDL cholesterol levels.
Medications
Often diet and lifestyle changes aren’t enough to keep your LDL levels low enough. Your doctor may also recommend taking medication to reduce your LDL cholesterol.
Statins are the most common type of medication prescribed to lower LDL cholesterol levels. They should be taken as prescribed and not stopped without consulting your doctor.
While you are taking your cholesterol-lowering medicine you should also continue to implement the other dietary and lifestyle recommendations discussed in this article.
Conclusion
There are many things you can do to lower your cholesterol. Diet changes, lifestyle changes and medications can all help to reduce your LDL cholesterol and increase your HDL cholesterol.
If you are worried about your cholesterol levels, book in for an appointment at Dietitians NT. We provide tailored support to help people get their cholesterol back in check through diet and lifestyle changes.