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Cholesterol Management through Diet & Lifestyle

Cholesterol Management through Diet & Lifestyle


There are 2 main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Eating too many foods high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood.

Foods high in saturated fat include:

  • meat pies
  • sausages and fatty cuts of meat
  • butter, ghee and lard
  • cream
  • hard cheeses
  • cakes and biscuits
  • foods containing coconut or palm oil

Eating foods that contain unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat can actually help reduce cholesterol levels.

Try to replace foods containing saturated fats with small amounts of foods high in unsaturated fats, such as:

  • oily fish – such as mackerel, salmon, rainbow trout and tuna
  • nuts – such as walnuts, almonds and cashews
  • seeds – such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds
  • avocados
  • vegetable oils and spreads – such as grapeseed, safflower, olive, avocado and walnut oils
  • Becel Proactiv is a spread fortified with plant stanols and sterols which has been shown to reduce total cholesterol levels by about 15% when replacing butter. A similar product in UK is Benecol. 

Trans fats can also raise cholesterol levels. Artificial trans fats can be found in hydrogenated fat and oils, so some processed foods, such as biscuits and cakes, can contain trans fats.

Reducing the total amount of fat in your diet can also help reduce your risk of heart disease.

Instead of roasting or frying, consider:

  • grilling
  • steaming
  • poaching
  • boiling
  • microwaving
  • Air Fryer

Choose lean cuts of meat and go for lower-fat varieties of dairy products and spreads, or eat a smaller amount of full-fat varieties.

Eating plenty of fibre helps lower your risk of heart disease, and some high-fibre foods can help lower your cholesterol.

Adults should aim for at least 30g of fibre a day.

Your diet should include a mix of sources of fibre, which include:

  • wholemeal bread, bran and wholegrain cereals
  • fruit and vegetables
  • potatoes with their skins on 
  • oats and barley
  • pulses, such as beans, peas and lentils
  • nuts and seeds

Aim to eat at least 5 portions of different fruit and vegetables a day.

An active lifestyle can also help lower your cholesterol level. Doing 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week can improve your cholesterol levels.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/lower-your-cholesterol/



INFORMATION & DISCLAIMER: 

I obtained my primary medical education from India and post graduate MD in Family Medicine from the United Kingdom. After working in National Health Service, England for 15 years, I moved to  Canada five years ago.  As a Family Physician, I consider my speciality as engaging patients, interpreting medical information for them, guiding them through their health journey, promoting wise health choices and encouraging early detection and management of disease. 

The information on this blog is accurate as per time of publishing. Scientific information and evidence changes dynamically and my opinions would change accordingly. 

The recommendations on this blog are not prescriptions and any patients considering these should consult with a physician to check if these are applicable to their unique situation.
 
Physician websites I commonly use for reference include 

 
Patient reference websites I commonly recommend to patients include
 

 
 

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Patient confidentiality must be upheld at all times and any patients wishing to discuss specific medical scenarios on social media are requested to do so anonymously in 'third party' sense. 

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