Cholesterol is necessary for normal body functions, but problems can arise when cholesterol levels become too high. As a general rule, an acceptable total cholesterol level is below 170, borderline high cholesterol is around 170-199, and high cholesterol is any number above 200.
There are two different types of cholesterol that make up the total cholesterol in your blood. They are called low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL is sometimes called “bad cholesterol” because it carries cholesterol throughout your body and builds up inside your blood vessels and arteries. HDL is often considered “good cholesterol” because it moves excess cholesterol to the liver so it can be removed from the body.
In most cases of high cholesterol, people tend to have higher LDL cholesterol levels, which is why high cholesterol can become dangerous. For this reason, most medications for high cholesterol are aimed at lowering LDL levels in the body. However, there are cases where a person’s HDL cholesterol is higher than their LDL cholesterol. These high HDL levels can contribute to increased total cholesterol, but are not necessarily a cause for concern.
If your doctor diagnoses you with high cholesterol, the best way to prevent further health problems is to work to lower your cholesterol. This usually involves making some lifestyle changes.
What should you do every day to lower cholesterol?
While most of us know that improving our diet by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, quitting smoking, and exercising more can help, many of us aren’t sure exactly what that means in practice.
Here are nine things you can do every day to help control your cholesterol:
1. Add oats to your daily diet
Some studies have found that eating 3g of beta-glucan (a type of soluble fibre found in oats and barley that is particularly high in them) every day can lower total cholesterol and LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol) by an average of five per cent and seven per cent respectively in people with normal or high cholesterol.
You can get 3g of beta-glucan by adding 60-80g of oats and barley throughout the day. Try porridge for breakfast, oat bread for lunch and granola bars for an afternoon snack.
2. Walk every day
Some recent studies have found that in sedentary people aged 40-66, walking once a day for 20-40 minutes at a brisk pace can lower their cholesterol by eight per cent. If you don’t have time for a longer walk, they also found that walking twice a day for 10 to 15 minutes can reduce cholesterol by six percent.
3. Eat plant sterols
Adding 25 grams (about five teaspoons) of plant sterol-containing fats per day (equivalent to a total of 2-3 grams of plant sterols) has been shown to reduce cholesterol absorption by up to 10 percent. Plus, the more plant foods you eat, the more plant sterols you’ll have in your diet.
4. Eat a handful of nuts every day
Several studies have shown that regularly eating almonds, pecans, walnuts, and macadamias can lower cholesterol. Nuts are high in heart-healthy unsaturated fats, so while they’re great to add to your daily diet, be careful about portion sizes (a handful is about 30g) to make sure you’re not adding too many to your daily diet, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Sprinkle walnuts on a salad or grab a handful of almonds for an afternoon snack.
5. Eat legumes
Beans and lentils (or legumes), including soy, have long been thought to help lower cholesterol levels. Research shows that eating 15-30g of soy protein per day (one to two servings) leads to an average six per cent reduction in LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol and a three per cent increase in HDL (‘good’) cholesterol.
However, it’s not just soy that’s effective: non-soy legumes (such as chickpeas, pinto beans, baked beans and navy beans) significantly reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (another type of fat in the blood that can increase the risk of heart disease) and reduce total cholesterol by an average of five per cent. Try adding lentils, beans and chickpeas to stews, soups, curries or meatballs, and adding soy milk, tofu or vegan soy products throughout the day.
6. Eat oily fish
Salmon, tuna, sardines and some mackerel are high in omega-3s. The long-chain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol (especially if you also have high triglycerides). Add canned tuna to your salad or lunch sandwich, sprinkle some smoked salmon on your morning toast, or cook a salmon or fresh tuna fillet for dinner a few times a week.
7. Replace butter with heart-healthy oils
Butter contains about 50 percent saturated fat and is often eaten daily. Try substituting butter for oils like olive, avocado, and canola when cooking, and spread margarine or butter on toast and sandwiches. Also, consider reducing the amount of foods you eat that contain butter. Replace cakes, muffins, and cookies with fruit, low-fat yogurt, or low-fat cheese, and crackers. Or make your own at home using low-fat spreads. Making simple changes to reduce your saturated fat intake can help lower your total cholesterol by up to 10 percent.
8. Limit processed meat
Saturated fat is a major contributor to high cholesterol. Processed meats like salami are particularly high in saturated fat (an average of 3 grams of saturated fat per 25-gram serving) and should be eaten only occasionally. Instead, switch to lean proteins like chicken breast, fresh or canned tuna, beef steak, and lean lamb mince.
9. Try tea
Research suggests that certain compounds in tea called catechins may help reduce cholesterol absorption. According to one study, people with slightly high cholesterol who drank five cups of black tea a day had an average reduction of five percent in total cholesterol and 11 percent in LDL cholesterol. Another study, a meta-analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials, found similar results with green tea. Researchers found that drinking green tea or taking green tea extract capsules reduced total and LDL cholesterol levels by five to six points.
