So you just went to the doctors and they told you that you need to lower your cholesterol levels. You want to stay off of meds as long as possible so you decide to try and make lifestyle changes first. If you google some advice, you’ll likely read many articles that tell you to stay away from eggs, cheese, yogurt, etc. While these foods do contain cholesterol, lowering your blood cholesterol level is a bit more complicated than that. And, who wants to willfully give up eggs anyway?!
Cholesterol, believe it or not, is essential in our bodies. Our bodies produce it and actually require it for plenty of processes. Cholesterol makes our cell membranes and other structures in our bodies. So, even though it’s gotten a bad rap, cholesterol is not all-in-all “bad”.
Actually, most of the cholesterol within our blood is made by the liver and it does not come from the omelet we had for breakfast. The cholesterol in our bodies isn’t significantly affected by the cholesterol that we eat, instead it’s highly genetic. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for all my egg-fans out there), cutting out cholesterol from your diet won’t help you lower your cholesterol levels. But, there are other diet and lifestyle changes you can make to help lower your cholesterol levels without medication. Below are a few of those ways.
Increase your fiber intake. Eating more dietary fiber will help to remove some of the cholesterol that your body produces. Women should aim to get around 35g of fiber per day, and men 48g/day. Add some fiber rich foods daily for example: whole wheat breads and pastas, beans and legumes, fruits and veggies, oats, or fiber rich cereals.
Add in omega-3’s. Omega-3 fatty acids are known to lower LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol, and improve HDL (aka “good”) cholesterol. In America, we tend to not get enough omega-3 in our diet, so it’s likely you’re not eating enough of them. Sources of omega-3’s are, chia seeds, flaxseeds (make sure they’re ground!), hemp hearts, walnuts, fatty-cold-water fish (salmon, anchovies, mackerel, herring, oysters, sardines), and algae. Try adding some chia or flax seeds to your smoothies or oatmeal in the mornings, some walnuts to your salad, or enjoy baked Salmon for dinner! You can also look into taking a DHA fish oil or algae oil supplement to increase your intake of omega-3’s, but check with your doctor first.
Watch out for trans fat. Eating a lot of trans fat can increase your body’s own cholesterol production. Check the nutrition labels on many of the foods you eat to make sure you’re not unknowingly consuming sneaky trans fats. Especially watch out for trans fats in bakery products (cookies, donuts, baguettes), fried foods, vegetable oils (especially canola oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil and corn oils), margarine, some brands of microwavable popcorn, chips, crackers, and cookies. Your best bet is to read the nutrition labels before eating any packaged foods.
Eat more whole foods! This is a staple tip, one that will help with pretty much any nutrition goal you have. Eating more whole foods will not only give you more fiber than packaged processed foods, but diets high in whole foods are known to improve your lipoprotein profile (important for cholesterol regulation), whereas diets high in processed foods will tend to worsen your lipoprotein profile. Obviously, you’re not going to completely cut out processed foods, but instead try to make simple easy swaps whenever possible. Instead of drinking apple juice or eating applesauce, eat a whole apple. Instead of eating a sugary breakfast cereal, reach for some oats and cinnamon.
These are simple lifestyle tips that can help with cholesterol regulation, but should not take the place of advice from a medical professional. Instead, work with your doctor to implement these tips into your daily life. If you want to learn more about nutrition tips for improving your health and well-being, get in contact with me to see how we can work together to Build your Best Self.