High cholesterol can often be the result of unhealthy dietary and lifestyle choices. Elizabeth Wall, registered nutritionist from Nutrivitality, told Express.co.uk: “Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this until it’s too late.
“Having too much cholesterol can block your blood vessels and increase your chances of heart problems or a stroke.”
Fortunately, switching up your lifestyle habits could “greatly reduce” your chances of heart disease and keep your cholesterol levels in check, according to the expert.
“Having a well-balanced diet and keeping active is vital for reducing cholesterol,” she said.
With this in mind, the nutritionist recommended four dietary tweaks to lower the levels of the fatty substance circulating in your blood.
1. Cut down on saturated fats
Wall shared that “the best way to lower your cholesterol” is to cut down on the amount of saturated fats you consume. She said: “Saturated fats are found in butter, cheese, cakes, pastries, coconut oil and fatty meats.
“Avoid eating fatty meats and processed foods such as sausages or pork. Since saturated fats are typically found in animal products and tropical oils, reducing your amount of butter, ghee or lard when cooking, as well as cream, hard cheese and sugary treats can also help too.”
The nutritionist suggested implementing easy swaps like changing up your usual cooking oil to sunflower, olive or rapeseed oil.
According to the NHS, men should eat no more than 30 grams of saturated fat per day and women should consume no more than 20 grams.
2. Choose more oily fish
Another tip the expert recommended for keeping cholesterol at bay is consuming more oily fish, such as mackerel and salmon.
Recently, a study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that eating two portions of salmon a week could help lower the waxy substance.
The scientists studied the fish through a field known as metabolomics and the production of metabolites, which are made when the body goes through metabolism – a chemical process which breaks down food into energy.
The findings revealed that the increase of two compounds found specifically in salmon and two other metabolites were associated with lower total cholesterol, lower “bad” cholesterol and other fats in the blood.
3. Replace white refined carbs with whole grains
Wall also recommended swapping white refined carbs found in the likes of white rice, bread and pasta with brown rice, wholegrain bread and wholewheat pasta.
Wholegrains have also been linked with a lower risk of heart disease when eaten regularly as part of a healthy diet, Heart UK reports.
4. Opt for high-fibre foods
The nutritionist explained that high-fibre foods reduce cholesterol, so eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes is “essential”. Eating fibre can help lower cholesterol by lowering the amount of “bad” cholesterol circulating in your blood.
Wall added: “By making changes to your diet, there will be a knock-on effect which reduces your cholesterol levels, your blood pressure and your chances of diabetes or heart disease.”
