Although the body needs adequate amounts of cholesterol, consuming too much cholesterol or if there is a high content of cholesterol in your blood, can cause your blood vessels/arteries to be narrowed and eventually blocked if not treated by sticking to the inner walls of these blood vessels.
Cholesterol is transported through proteins flowing in the blood, these proteins are called lipoproteins. There are 2 types of cholesterol, one type is the LDL “low-density lipoprotein” which is often referred to as bad cholesterol and the other type is the HDL “high-density lipoprotein” which is rather referred to as good cholesterol.
High cholesterol increases your risk of suffering from various heart-related diseases.
High cholesterol can be treated through a conscious attempt to living a healthy lifestyle which involves diet changes, exercise, and keeping your weight in check.
HOW to lower cholesterol through your diet plan
Altering your diet is a very effective step for reducing the cholesterol content in your blood. Here are a few tips for your diet plan;
Healthy fats
Consumption of foods containing healthy fats is one step to ensure that your cholesterol level remains healthy. Your total dietary fat consumption should still not exceed 25-35 % of your daily food consumed while the daily calories consumed from saturated fat should not exceed 7%.
Saturated fat and Trans fat are the ones that raise your low-density lipoprotein while lowering your high-density lipoprotein and should be consciously reduced in your diet.
Healthy fat foods include;
- Nuts
- Olive oil
- Avocados
- Safflower oils
- Lean meat
- Canola oil, etc.
Saturated fat foods include;
- Cheese
- Red meat
- Chocolate
- Processed foods
- Deep-fried foods
- Whole milk
- Baked foods, etc.
Trans fat foods include;
- French fries
- Margarine
- Hydrogenated fat and oils
High soluble fiber foods
Increasing the soluble fiber content in your diet will help protect your digestive tract from the effect of the cholesterol in your system. Try replacing your white bread or pasta with;
Fruits like;
- Bananas
- Apples
- Pears
- Prunes
- Oranges, etc.
Legumes;
- Chickpeas
- Honey beans
- Kidney beans
- Lentils
- Baked beans
- Black beans, etc.
Whole grain cereals;
- Oats
- Wheat
- Rice
- Corn
- Millet
- Barley, etc
Reduce cholesterol intake
This is quite an obvious one if you are trying to find a solution to a problem an important move is to deal with the original cause of the problem, which in this case is high cholesterol. Your daily consumption of cholesterol foods is advised not to exceed 200mg. Foods of animal origin, whole-milk dairy foods, egg yolks are all examples of cholesterol foods.
Fruits and vegetables
Incorporating sufficient fruits and vegetables in your diet will increase plant sterols which work like soluble fibers in the body to lower cholesterol.
Avoid alcohol
One reason for added calories is alcohol consumption and can lead to overweight or unwanted fat. High LDL levels and low HDL levels are also due to excess weight and this rise in your LDL level will put you at risk of developing heart-related diseases, high blood pressure, and other health dangers eventually. It is advised that the intake of drinks containing alcohol should not be more than two for men.
Consume omega-3 fatty acids
These acids are majorly obtained from certain fish foods which increase your high-density lipoprotein. They strengthen heart muscles and provide protection for your heart from threats like inflammation, diseases, blood clots, etc. Such fish include;
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Tuna
- Herring
- Sardines
- Halibut, etc.
Less salt
Limiting your salt (sodium) consumption to nothing more than a teaspoon daily, even in cooked foods, however form the salt comes, your total amount of salt to consume is one teaspoon. Doing this will reduce possible heart attacks by lowering your blood pressure.
Be sure to read nutrition labels on food products to effectively monitor your intake of salt, omega 3 fatty acids, cholesterol, fat, soluble fiber, and other nutrition contents.
Other tips on lowering your cholesterol are;
- Maintaining a healthy weight; getting rid of excess body weight helps in lowering cholesterol levels.
- Avoid smoking; smoking is known to reduce HDL levels.
- Regularly check your cholesterol levels; you can do this at home with a cholesterol test kit or going to see the doctor.
- Regular exercise
- Practice portion control
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