Lower your cholesterol with a Low Cholesterol Diet Think the F Word! Fats & Fish & Fibre & Fruit

Lower your cholesterol with a low cholesterol diet? What does that look like? I suggest to my clients to think the F word i.e. fats and fish and fibre and fruit. By  choosing the right types of fats, and regular intake of the rest you can optimise your diet to influence cholesterol levels. This does not mean you may not still need medication but ideally first steps in managing cholesterol levels ought look to your best healthy diet. See below for some top tips.

What is cholesterol? Reduce your LDL-c

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found throughout the body. It is necessary to make the cell membrane, hormones, and bile which helps to break down fat we consume. We produce cholesterol in the liver as well as eat it in food with the cholesterol we eat not considered especially tricky in terms of blood cholesterol levels.  Cholesterol, like a family, is made up of many different bodies. We want to concentrate on LDL-c or Low Density Lipoprotein-cholesterol.  LDL-c is the main influencer when it comes to risk of heart disease and angina, heart attacks and stroke, because it can pass through the walls of the heart and cause a build up of plaque. The plaques make it difficult for blood to flow freely, not only through the heart but also to the brain.

If you have been diagnosed with high LDL-c we want to  reduce this number as quickly as possible. This is because the hardening effects of LDL-c in the heart and elsewhere are  cumulative, so the longer LDL-c remains high, the more risky the situation can be for us.

So what can we do to lower LDL-c?

1. Focus on  Fat Intake Daily

Reduce your intake of saturated fat in food: saturated fat is found in cakes, biscuits, pastries, butter, cream and ice creams, and  all fried foods.

Choose your cooking fat carefully: switch from frying with hard fats e.g. butter or ghee, lard, goose fat, duck fat or coconut oil,  to  peanut, rapeseed, olive oil, or sunflower oil. Think moving from animal fats to plant fats  – except coconut oil which is highly saturated. Ignore the current media content on seed oils (plant oils) as there is no evidence to suggest they are bad for us.

2. Swap saturated fat for omega-3s

Omega 3s are a specific type of polyunsaturated fat and can help  to keep the heart healthy by lowering

1. 1. Blood pressure
   2. Triglycerides  which can lead to hardening of arteries and
   3. The  risk of irregular heartbeats.

Omega-3 oils are found in

1. 1. oily fish e.g. sardines, mackerel, salmon, trout and  tuna; fresh and tinned is fine (weekly)
   2. nuts e.g. walnuts, almonds, macadamia, hazelnuts, pecans,  and peanuts (daily)
   3. seeds e.g.  linseeds, and chia seeds (daily)

The omega-3s found in fish are more powerful than those found in plant foods, but they are all good choices. If you eat fish then include  oily fish 1 – 2 times per week, make your serving 140g. Enjoy white fish as often as you like, just being mindful of some white fish which contains low levels of mercury.

Nuts (30g is a serving)  can be enjoyed daily and have been found to be especially associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Eating nuts 5+ times per week is a recommendation of the Mediterranean Diet for heart health and longevity.

3. Enjoy your Daily Dairy – it’s not as bad as you think!

Interestingly, the fat found in diary products is not as bad as we once thought. This is because the saturated fat found in dairy is contained inside a matrix called a milk fat globule membrane.

• Milk – choose  skimmed or semi-skimmed milk (daily)
• Yogurt – choose low fat or reduced fat yogurt (daily)
• Cheese – choose reduced fat, ideally 60 – 90g per week only.

Other foods in the dairy domain such as double cream, sour cream, ice cream  and butter are high in saturated fat and should only be eaten in small amounts.  You can of course choose dairy alternatives such as drinks, yogurts and cheeses derived from plants – just be careful of the additives and go for the ones with least ingredients for your healthiest options. So whether you choose dairy or choose alternatives, both options can be part of your low cholesterol diet.

4. Focus on Fibre Daily

Increasing your intake of fibre has been shown to have a modest effect on reducing LDL-c. Fibre has a dose response relationship, so the more we consume the more impact on mopping up LDL-c. Fibre is great because it not only reduces blood cholesterol, it can also help to protect from the formation of small blood clots that trigger heart attacks and stroke.

i. Include more oats – a WOW fibre -aim for 2 – 3 servings per day.  The best fibre to add for heart health is oats as oats contain a type of fibre called beta-glucans which fibres seem to have the most impact on LDL-c. Barley also contains beta-glucans and can be swapped out for oats in soups and stews or included as part of your muesli or porridge mix.  Another idea is to swap rice for barley and make a risotto.

1 x serving = 50g of jumbo porridge oats OR 3 oatcakes OR 2 x Oatibix OR 45g of barley flakes

ii. Increase your intake of beans, pulses and legumes to half a tin or half a cup per day. Similarly to oats the soluble fibre found in these foods has a mopping effect in on LDL-c, effectively preventing the re-absorption of some cholesterol back into the body. If you find the gas producing effects of beans and other foods challenging, just take it slow and increase you intake in small amounts. Eventually with time the gut microbiome will respond and you will be better able to mange potential gas and bloating effects.

5. Flourish with Fruit and Vegetables – eat the rainbow of colours – 800g daily

Working  towards 2  different pieces of fruit daily and 3 different vegetables is a great start. Ensure to include a rainbow of colours and lots of different leafy greens. Leafy greens are associated with lower blood pressure and less risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Reminder that fresh or frozen or tinned in own juice (fruit) are all equal in terms of nutrition. Dried fruit is also acceptable but can be easily over consumed leading to weight gain, and the occasional upset tummy. We want to ensure we are eating around 5 servings of vegetables daily – 500g is around 6 UK servings as a UK serving of veggies is 80g.

Increasing your intake of fruit to around 300g or 3 x servings per day seems to offer an optimised scenario also.

So that’s 800g of vegetables and fruit daily – remember to eat the rainbow.

If you would like more support implementing a heart healthy and low cholesterol diet get in touch. I would love to help you.