Eat Your Way to Lower Cholesterol

🥗 Want to keep your heart happy? Learn how to lower cholesterol with tasty foods that nourish your body! 🌟❤️ #CholesterolControl #HealthyLiving #FoodIsMedicine

Cholesterol is necessary to build healthy cells, but too much “bad” cholesterol can lead to heart disease and stroke. Here’s how food choices can help lower cholesterol.

Can I lower my cholesterol by changing my diet?

If you have high cholesterol, it might help to avoid or limit saturated fats. These are found in foods like:

Red meat
Butter
Fried foods
Cheese
Baked goods, such as cookies, cakes, or brownies

Other things that might help lower cholesterol include:

Eating more soluble fiber – Soluble fiber is found in fruits, oats, barley, beans, and peas.
A vegetarian or vegan diet – A vegetarian diet contains no meat. A vegan diet contains no animal products at all, including meat, eggs, or milk.
Replacing meat with soy sometimes – Soy-based products include tofu and tempeh.

In general, you can improve your health by eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You can also cut back on carbohydrates, sweets, and processed foods.

Eating a Mediterranean diet might help lower your cholesterol.

Are there specific foods that can lower my cholesterol?

There are some foods that seem to help lower cholesterol, including:

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids – Studies show that people who eat lots of these foods are less likely to have heart disease than those who eat less of them. Examples include oily fish (such as salmon, herring, or tuna), olive oil, and canola oil. It’s fine to eat 1 to 2 servings of oily fish a week.
Nuts – Some studies show that eating certain nuts can help lower cholesterol. They might even lower the risk of heart attack or death. These nets include walnuts, almonds, and pistachios.
Fiber-rich foods – These foods seem to lower cholesterol and are generally good for your health. Examples include fruits, vegetables, beans, and oats. Some doctors even recommend taking fiber supplements.

Should I take supplements to lower my cholesterol?

Maybe. Some research has shown that certain supplements can lower cholesterol. But there is almost no research showing that supplements can help prevent heart attacks, strokes, or any of the problems caused by high cholesterol.

Also, supplements are generally not regulated very well. That means that what’s on a supplement’s label may not always be what is actually in the bottle.

Here are some supplements that might help with cholesterol:

Red yeast rice – Red yeast rice helps lower cholesterol. It might contain monacolin K, which is the same ingredient that is in a prescription medicine to lower cholesterol. But the supplements that you can buy might not always have much monacolin K. If you are interested in taking red yeast rice, talk to your doctor to see if the prescription medicine is a better choice.
Omega-3 fatty acid supplements – Some omega-3 fatty acid supplements might help lower cholesterol, but they might also raise it.

What supplements don’t work?

There is no good evidence that calcium, garlic, coconut oil, coconut water, resveratrol, policosanol, or soy isoflavone supplements lower cholesterol.

Medications

While a healthy diet as described above is generally recommended regardless of whether you have high cholesterol, do note that if your cholesterol is very high of if you are deemed to be at high risk of heart attacks or stroke, medications such as statins will still be recommended to lower your risk of adverse events.

Do discuss with your doctor if lifestyle changes alone (including exercise) is recommended for you or if medications is required.

Your doctor may use this cardiovascular disease risk calculator to aid in the decision.

Conclusion

Lowering cholesterol through diet is not only effective but also delicious! By making these simple changes to your eating habits, you can take control of your heart health while enjoying a variety of flavorful foods. Remember to consult with a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian for personalized advice tailored to your specific needs.

_References: _{https://www.uptodate.com/contents/healthy-diet-in-adults?search=diet&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1%7E150&usage_type=default&display_rank=1}

Other healthy dietary patterns: