If your doctor tells you that your cholesterol is high, it means that the levels of several different fat-like substances in your body are not within the normal range.
A cholesterol test measures:
- Total cholesterol
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (“bad” cholesterol)
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) (“good” cholesterol)
- Triglycerides.
Therefore, you need to make changes in your diet and exercise that can make a difference in your LDL and HDL levels to effectively lower your cholesterol. Here are some different ways to do this:
1. Eat more oats and other soluble fiber
Soluble fiber acts like a sponge, absorbing water and turning into a gel during digestion. It is also very good at binding to cholesterol and removing it from your body, reducing your overall cholesterol levels and ultimately your risk of heart disease.
Soluble fiber is found in a variety of foods, including:
- Apples
- Avocados
- Barley
- Beans and peas
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Carrots
- Citrus fruits
- Figs
- Nuts Flaxseeds
- Guava
- Oats
- Pears
- Potatoes and sweet potatoes Potatoes
- Psyllium
- Nuts and berries
- Sunflower seeds.
To lower your LDL and total cholesterol, you should eat at least 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day, about a quarter of which should come from soluble fiber sources. Three-quarters of a cup of cooked beans provides about 5 grams of soluble fiber, half an avocado has 2 grams of soluble fiber, and a cup of cooked carrots has about 2.5 grams. Eat more!
2. Eat More Plant Sterols or Stanols
Plant sterols and stanols (also called phytosterols) occur naturally in small amounts in fruits and vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. They are also added to some products such as cereals, cooking oils, granola, margarine, orange juice, and salad dressings in larger amounts, and these products are often labeled as having “cholesterol-lowering” benefits that are good for your heart.
Foods naturally high in sterols and stanols include almonds, apples, avocados, blueberries, Brussels sprouts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and tomatoes.
However, only people with high cholesterol should eat sterol- and stanol-fortified products, with a goal of consuming 2 grams of sterols or stanols per day.
3. Avoid trans fats
Trans fats are a byproduct of the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils, which is a process that creates vegetable oils that are typically liquid at room temperature and solid at room temperature and spreadable. This process is inexpensive and also extends the shelf life of the product. But our bodies mistake trans fats for saturated fats because they are essentially unsaturated fatty acids that behave like saturated fatty acids. Trans fats are stickier than other types of fats, and high levels can build up in arteries and organs. They also cause platelets to stick together, making a person more susceptible to blood clots, and they can accidentally penetrate cell membranes, which can cause holes to form in cell membranes. Researchers have found that people who eat a lot of trans fats are more likely to develop diabetes or have a heart attack or stroke. Additionally, their LDL levels were higher and their HDL levels were lower than those who ate virtually no trans fat.
Trans fat can still be found in some products and is often listed on labels as partially hydrogenated oil.
4. Eat Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats
Not all fats are bad, we all need fat in our diet, but not in large amounts. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, but all fats contain calories, so we should eat them in moderation, preferably instead of saturated fats.
Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and include vegetable oils (such as canola, high oleic safflower, sunflower, olive and peanut oils) and foods like avocados and most nuts.
There are two main types of polyunsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Both are involved in important body processes such as blood clotting, inflammation, muscle function, cell membranes and nerve formation. Fatty fish (such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon), flaxseeds, walnuts, canola oil, and non-hydrogenated soybean oil are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Safflower, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and corn oils are high in omega-6s. Polyunsaturated fats have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, increased HDL, and decreased triglycerides. But they are also inflammatory, and the typical Western diet has shifted from a 1:1 omega-3 to omega-6 balance to an unfavorable 16:1 omega-6 ratio. Causes of this imbalance include feeding animals corn and soybeans (rich in omega-6s) instead of grazing on grass (which is rich in omega-3s) and using omega-6-rich oils for cooking. A balanced ratio is important for human development during pregnancy and lactation, and excess omega-6 can increase white adipose tissue and lead to chronic inflammation. Make sure your diet has a good balance of omega-3s and omega-6s.
5. Lose weight
Obese people, especially those whose weight is concentrated around the abdomen, have higher rates of cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, cancer, liver and kidney disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and depression. They are twice as likely as normal-weight people to have high LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol.
Even losing 8% of your weight can lower your cholesterol levels and have a significant impact on your risk of cardiovascular disease and improve your quality of life. Diets that reduce portion sizes and replace saturated fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as well as eating foods that help lower cholesterol, are easy to follow and maintain. Research also shows that weight loss through exercise is even more effective at raising HDL (good cholesterol) levels than dieting.
6. Exercise
The truth is that people are getting lazier. More than a quarter of the world’s population doesn’t exercise enough, putting them at risk for heart disease, diabetes, dementia, some cancers, and other serious illnesses.
The minimum people should exercise is 30 to 40 minutes, at least three to four times a week. Ideally, we should exercise 60 minutes a day.
Exercise increases HDL (good cholesterol) levels and lowers triglycerides. It also helps with weight loss and boosts your immune system. Aerobic (cardiovascular) exercise and resistance training are the most beneficial. But you need to exercise at a level that makes you sweat and increases your heart rate.
On most days, exercise should be moderate in intensity, such as:
- Brisk walking (three miles per hour or faster)
- Playing tennis (doubles)
- Mowing the lawn or trimming hedges
- Cycling (less than 10 miles per hour).
- At least one day a week, do something a little more vigorous, such as:
- Jogging, sprinting, brisk walking
- Playing tennis (singles)
- Swimming
- High-intensity exercise classes
- Bike fast (more than 10 miles per hour).
Combine them, and exercise becomes something you look forward to doing. But make sure you check with your doctor before starting any strenuous activity.
7. Don’t drink alcohol
First, only SMALL amounts of alcohol (less than one standard drink per day) have been found to increase HDL (good cholesterol) and reduce the risk of blood clotting. Second, the benefits are limited to people over 45. Third, the flavonoids and antioxidants responsible for these benefits are also easily obtained from fruits and vegetables.
Drinking too much alcohol is BAD for your heart. It can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, arrhythmia (heart rhythm out of sync), and sudden death. It can contribute to obesity and increase the risk of some cancers. Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to increased LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and decreased HDL levels.
If you have never drunk alcohol, don’t start. If you have, try to cut back.
8. Improve your gut health
We are only just beginning to understand how important the organisms that live in our gut are to our overall health.
Our digestive tract is home to trillions of bacteria, as well as fungi and viruses – this is known as the gut microbiome. The makeup of this microbiome is largely determined genetically; however, it is greatly influenced by a number of factors such as whether we were born vaginally or by caesarean section, whether we were breastfed, whether we used antibiotics, and our exposure to chemicals, pesticides, and other toxins.
To improve your gut microbiome, start by reducing your intake of sugary, processed, or fatty foods. Build your diet around whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes (like peas), and soluble fiber like oats. Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and tempeh are rich in probiotics and are easy to digest, and in small amounts will boost the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut. Probiotic supplements may be beneficial, especially if you need to take antibiotics to treat a serious infection.
9. Quit smoking if you smoke
If you’re a smoker, you probably already know all the reasons why you shouldn’t smoke.
But did you know that if you’re a smoker with high cholesterol and a close family member (like a parent, sibling) has had heart disease, you’re ten times more likely to develop heart disease than someone with normal cholesterol who doesn’t smoke?
Smoking is bad for your arteries. It damages the lining of your arteries, leading to inflammation that increases the buildup of plaque—a waxy substance made up of cholesterol, fibrin, and calcium that narrows your arteries, making it harder for your heart to pump blood around your body.
Smoking also raises LDL and triglyceride levels. At the same time, it lowers HDL cholesterol levels, which return to normal within weeks of quitting. Within a few years, your risk of heart attack is also significantly reduced.
