Most people don’t realize that one very effective way to combat high cholesterol is with a simple lifestyle change: their diet. There are many variations of diets to lower cholesterol. You just have to look at what you eat now and what small changes you need to make.
Including more plant-based foods is one small “tweak” to can make to your existing diet. Adding fruits, vegetables, legumes (nuts), and whole grains are great additions or replacements for high cholesterol foods. These types of are generally low in saturated fat and calories. However, they contain higher amounts of fiber and starch. They are naturally low in dietary cholesterol. However, there are some bakery goods to stay away from: some sweet breads and other foods that are made with high-fat and high-cholesterol milk, eggs, and butter.
If you’re looking to keep your triglycerides down and/or you’re trying to improve your low HDL (remember, that’s the good cholesterol), then your carbohydrate intake should be no more than 55% to 60% of your total daily calories. When your body takes in too many carbs, it will tell the liver to increase production of cholesterol. This can lead to higher cholesterol levels.
You know that increasing plant-based foods is one step to a diet to lower your cholesterol. Another change can be to decrease the amount of animal-based foods. Many animal based foods are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Research has shown that taking in saturated fat, more so than cholesterol itself, can lead to higher cholesterol levels. You should limit or avoid foods like red meat with visible fat, organ meat (like liver), goose, duck, processed meats (like sausage, bologna, salami). Even food like butter, cheese, and even high-fat ice cream can be bad for high cholesterol.
Another type of fat to avoid is trans-fat. Lately, there has been a shift at many chain restaurants to stay away from oils that have trans-fat (like KFC and Burger King). That doesn’t mean that the food is now healthy. It’s just that the trans-fat cooking process has been replaced. Trans fatty acid, trans fat, has been shown to increase the LDL levels, which we know is BAD. You should learn how to read labels on foods. Look for words like hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and/or shortening. These are your clues that this product is high in trans fat. Also look for the section of the nutritional guide and look for the section for saturated fat.
So, with just a few simple tweaks, you can start your journey to a healthier life style. Diets that lower cholesterol don’t have to be fancy or bland. You just need to know what to add and what to take out of your current diet.