How to lower your Cholesterol

Eating Habits & Lifestyle Changes

There are food choices you can make that help improve your cholesterol levels. You might not have to go on a medication to change your levels. Sometimes, you need both medication and dietary changes. To start, stop eating processed foods that include trans fats and saturated fats. These tend to raise your total cholesterol levels. Along with eating right, you’ll want to get active. While certain foods help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, exercise can help raise your “good” HDL cholesterol levels. Moderate exercise for 30 minutes around five times a week can change your cholesterol levels. It doesn’t matter what you do, just as long as you’re motivated to keep it up. Even a brisk walk every day for half an hour can do the job.

The Diet-Heart Myth

For a very long time, cholesterol and the foods that contain it have been given a pretty bad rep. Superfoods like eggs have been relegated to ‘do not consume’ status because of their cholesterol content. This makes us so sad. As far as eggs are concerned, not only do most of the nutrients reside in the yolk (gems like choline, a B vitamin crucial to healthy cells). If you’re trying to lower your heart disease risk, you’re better off avoiding things like sugar, processed vegetable oils, and refined carbohydrates, not limiting your eggs or your healthy fats. Research shows that the issue isn’t fat as a whole, but rather the type of fat; vegetable oils like canola, soy, and corn, and trans fats are much more likely to cause problems compared to more nourishing, stable fats like grass-fed ghee or butter. Inflammation is actually the driver for most chronic diseases, not cholesterol levels or saturated fat consumption.

What to Eat?

Fruits and vegetables such as leafy greens; yellow, orange and red tomatoes; strawberries; plums and berries. The more colorful the produce is, the more cholesterol-blocking substances your body will get. Moreover, oatmeal, kidney beans, apples and pears, their fiber keeps your body from absorbing extra cholesterol into your blood. Fish with omega-3 fatty acids, such as tuna, salmon. Whey protein, such as the powdered types you can add into smoothies. Quality of the meals is much more important than the quantity. Rather than counting grams of single nutrients, aim to eat a diet that’s rich in vegetables, healthy fats, and high-quality proteins like avocados, fatty fish rich in omega-3s, coconuts, olives, extra virgin olive oil, nuts & seeds, and coconut oil.

One Step at a Time!

If you want to improve your cholesterol levels and your health as a whole, there’s plenty more you can do. As we mentioned above, work on avoiding refined grains and sugars, especially high fructose corn syrup. Exercise or move your body in a way that you enjoy. Avoid smoking and work on limiting your life stressors. It may seem like a lot to change, but take it one step at a time. Start with adding in some of the nourishing things, like more veggies or nourishing fats. Then, slowly, work on the lifestyle factors or on removing some of the potentially inflammatory foods. Little by little, your actions will add up.