Your diet can easily lead to dangerously high cholesterol levels. But the reverse is also true: changing your diet can lower your cholesterol. This requires a dual strategy: adding foods that help lower LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol carrying particles that contribute to arterial atherosclerosis), while reducing foods that promote LDL cholesterol. Without this step, you are engaging in a defensive action instead of achieving a sustainable and enjoyable victory.
Prioritize the Right Foods
Not all foods we consume decrease cholesterol in the same way. Some provide soluble fibers that bind to cholesterol and its precursors inside the digestive system to remove them from the body before they reach the circulatory system. Others provide polyunsaturated fats that directly reduce LDL cholesterol. And still, others contain phytosterols that prevent cholesterol absorption.
Oats
The first simple step to improve your cholesterol levels is to have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. This will provide you with 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add to that a whole fruit instead of fruit juice, and that counts as an additional half gram of fiber. Current nutritional recommendations advise consuming between 20 and 35 grams of fiber per day, including at least 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber.
Barley and Other Whole Grains
Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can reduce the risk of heart disease, mainly due to their soluble fiber content.
Legumes
Legumes are particularly rich in soluble fiber. Moreover, the body takes a long time to digest them, so you will feel fuller for longer after the end of the meal. This is why beans are recommended for people trying to lose weight. Make your choice and vary your pleasures; there are many possibilities available to you (white beans, red beans, lentils, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, etc.), and as many ways to prepare them; beans are very versatile.
Nuts
Numerous studies show that consuming almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Eating about 55 grams of nuts per day can slightly reduce LDL cholesterol (by about 5%). Nuts contain additional nutrients that protect the heart in various ways.
Vegetable Oils
Use vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, olive oil, and flaxseed oil instead of using butter, lard, or any other fat for cooking or at the table.
Some Fruits and Vegetables
Eggplants, okra, apples, grapes, strawberries, and citrus fruits are fruits rich in soluble fiber that helps reduce bad cholesterol.
Foods Enriched with Phytosterols
Plant phytosterols are plant compounds present in low proportions in oils, oilseeds (almonds, peanuts), cereals, fruits, and vegetables. They prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol contained in certain foods. Food companies add them to certain foods such as vegetable margarines, yogurt, milk, and even chocolate. They are also available as dietary supplements. Consuming 2 grams of phytosterols per day could reduce LDL cholesterol by about 10%.
Soy
It was claimed until recently that consuming soy sprouts and soy-based foods such as tofu and soy milk was an effective way to lower cholesterol. Analyses show that the effect is actually more modest: consuming 25 grams of soy protein per day (equivalent to 280 grams of tofu or 2.5 cups of soy milk) can reduce LDL by 5 to 6%.
Oily Fish
Eating oily fish two or three times a week can reduce LDL cholesterol in two ways: by replacing meat that contains more saturated fats and by providing omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce LDL cholesterol. Omega-3s reduce triglycerides in the blood and also protect the heart by preventing arrhythmias.
Fiber Supplements
Dietary supplements provide soluble fiber without thinking about it. For example, two teaspoons per day of psyllium provide about 4 grams of soluble fiber.
Banish Bad Foods
LDL cholesterol increases while HDL cholesterol decreases largely according to the diet and lifestyle.
Saturated Fats
Common sources of saturated fats include animal products such as red meat, whole dairy products, eggs, as well as some vegetable oils such as palm oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter. Saturated fats can increase your level of "bad" LDL cholesterol. But they also have certain benefits: they reduce triglycerides and promote an increase in the level of "good" HDL cholesterol.
Trans Fatty Acids
The right amount of trans fatty acids should be equal to zero! Trans fatty acids are by-products of a chemical reaction that turns vegetable oils into solid fat and prevents vegetable oils from becoming rancid. Originally created to serve the interests of the food industry, trans fatty acids have no nutritional value, and we know for sure that they are bad for the heart. They increase LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while reducing HDL cholesterol.
Exercise
Being overweight and not exercising has repercussions on the fats circulating in the blood. Overweight promotes LDL cholesterol while inactivity lowers good HDL cholesterol. Losing weight if necessary and doing more sports can reverse these trends.
Find a New Balance
When it comes to investing money, experts recommend creating a diversified and varied investment portfolio rather than putting all your eggs in one basket. The same goes for your anti-cholesterol diet strategy. Adding several foods to your diet that fight high cholesterol levels differently will be more effective than just adding one or two. A "food portfolio" that largely decreases cholesterol, mainly vegetarian, greatly reduces LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. The main components of this food portfolio are fruits and vegetables, whole grains, mainly plant proteins, and oily fish. Add to that foods enriched with phytosterols, oats or oat bran, psyllium, soy proteins as well as whole almonds to guarantee your daily intake of soluble fiber.
Of course, switching to a cholesterol-lowering diet requires more attention than taking your cholesterol-lowering medication every day, typically statins. This means expanding and diversifying the foods you usually buy and also getting used to new textures and flavors. But it is a "natural" way to lower cholesterol, thus avoiding the risk of muscle problems and other side effects that plague the lives of some people who take statins. Moreover, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts is good for health, simply put. It not only serves to lower cholesterol levels but also helps maintain good blood pressure. It is also a diet good for bones and digestive system health, as well as for vision and mental health.
Source: 11 foods that lower cholesterol, Harvard Health Publications.