Cholesterol Lowering Diet
What is a cholesterol lowering diet?
A cholesterol lowering diet is aimed at
assisting the body to reduce cholesterol using cholesterol lowering foods and
avoiding foods which increase cholesterol levels. This is very different to
traditional low cholesterol diets, which aim on reducing cholesterol intake in
a bid to reduce cholesterol levels. Only a small amount of our endogenous
cholesterol levels are from ingestion of cholesterol, the rest is made by our
body. High cholesterol can be a result of the wrong dietary choices over a
period of time, an inflammatory disease process, a hypothyroid condition or
even allergies! The following dietary advice is aimed at helping to lower your
cholesterol levels.
The following foods are associated with
cholesterol lowering properties:
Garlic Eggplant Linseeds
Tumeric Tomato Linseed oil
Onion Lentils Cold pressed extra virgin
olive oil
Globe artichoke Beans Ginger
Rocket Chickpeas Kale
Mustard greens Oats
Fibre
Fibre helps to lower cholesterol by
binding to bile, which is made from cholesterol, and carrying through the bowel
for excretion. This means that the bile is not reabsorbed and needs to be
produced by the liver again from cholesterol, lowering endogenous levels.
The following foods are high in
beneficial fibre which increases the excretion of cholesterol:
Oats Wholegrain
products Legumes Slippery elm
Psyllium husk Parsnips Barley Asparagus
Brown rice Linseed meal Black
rice
HDL
and LDL ratio
Another aspect of cholesterol to look at
is the high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density
lipoprotein (LDL) ratio. HDL cholesterol is
beneficial as it bounces off the blood vessel walls, cleaning up excess
cholesterol and fats that have stuck to the walls and carrying them back to the
liver for metabolism. In contrast, LDL cholesterol is
damaging to its low density as it bounces against the blood vessel walls and
leaves splats of bad cholesterol particles that stick to the blood vessel
walls. It is these particles which are the predisposing factor to
atherosclerosis as they make it easy for calcification to occur, leading to
blockages which cause heart failure and strokes.
Foods which increase HDL and decrease LDL are:
Nuts and their cold pressed oils – almonds,
macadamia nuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts
Seeds and their cold pressed oils –
sesame seeds, pepitas, sunflower seeds
Globe artichoke
Linseeds and linseed oil Chickpeas
Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil Lentils
Apples with skin Ginger
Linseeds / Linseeds oil Brown and black rice
Tomato
Fish – mackerel, salmon, sardines,
herring, blue eyed cod
Antioxidants
Cholesterol actually serves an
antioxidant role in the body, so when antioxidant status is low it can cause an
increase in cholesterol levels. Increasing antioxidant foods in the diet can
therefore help to lower cholesterol by decreasing oxidative stress but will
also have a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, preventing
atherosclerosis and heart disease.
The following foods are good sources of
antioxidants:
Blueberries Mangoes Green
tea Black Olives Ginger
Raspberries Kale White
tea Carrots Onions
Blackberries Spinach Broccoli Wheat grass Tomatoes Strawberries Rocket Beetroot
Red grapes Papaya Pineapple Silverbeet
Brazil nuts Red wine
Apples Goji
berries Lemons Tumeric
Kiwifruit Cocoa Grapefruit Garlic
What increases my cholesterol?
Now that we’ve covered all the beneficial
foods you should be including in your diet, it’s time to discuss what kind of
factors will have an unfavourable effect on your cholesterol levels, and should
therefore be avoided.
Trans-fatty
acids
Trans-fats are created by oxidation of
the fat molecule, which causes it to change from its natural cis formation to a
trans formation. This form is not easily digested or metabolised by the body,
and studies have shown that trans-fatty acid intake is associated with
inflammation, increased oxidative stress and poor cholesterol and fat
parameters.
The main sources of trans-fats that
should be avoided are:
Margarine Biscuits Lard
Spreadable butters Cakes Chips
Deep fried foods Cooking spray oils
Oil which is not cold pressed Donuts
Sugar
and simple carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel
source for the body, so when our diet is high in simple carbohydrates the body
uses this excess energy to convert to fat which then can increase our
cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Simple carbohydrate sources which should
be avoided include:
Sugar Jasmine
rice Fructose
White bread Maltose Jams and spreads
Pasta Maltodextrin Chocolate/lollies
White crackers Glucose Canned
fruit/veg with added sugar
Saturated
fats
A high saturated fat intake has been
associated with high cholesterol levels. Saturated fat is however beneficial,
it should just be consumed in small amounts compared to the other fats such as
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in your diet, which should be consumed
more frequently.
Limiting the amount of the following will
ensure you are not consuming too much saturated fat:
Excess fat on meat Lard Milk Hard
cheese
Chicken skin Confit Cream Fatty
meats
Low
fat products
Low fat products generally tend to be
high in sugar, and as mentioned above this can lead to increased cholesterol
levels. Low fat dairy products usually contain milk solids to make them
creamier. Milk solids are in fact milk powder and are high in oxidised
cholesterol due to the high heat process by which they are made. It is in fact
better to have full fat products in moderation than it is to ingest these
oxidated cholesterol containing foods.
The following low fat products should be
avoided:
Skim/Trim/Low fat/No fat milk – if you
insist on low fat milk try Mungali Creek organic low fat, TRIM or you’ll love
coles skim milk as these do not contain milk solids
Low fat cream, yogurt, cheese, ice-cream
or other dairy products
Other products that claim to be low in
fat but are high in added sugar (Check labels)
So how do I put these dietary changes
into action?
Making changes to your diet can be
difficult, which is why it is important to take things slowly, changing one or
two things at a time. Your practitioner will assist you in choosing which
dietary changes are best to try first and will give you practical dietary
advice along with recipes.
There are many options available to you
as substitutions for foods that you enjoy in your daily diet – try using
xylitol (a natural fruit sugar found in health food shops) instead of sugar, or
substituting low fat milk for rice or oat milk.
What other things can I do to reduce my
cholesterol?
Exercise
Regular exercise is an integral part of
cholesterol reduction as it helps to increase metabolism and increase
cholesterol excretion. Aim for 40 minutes three times a week. Try to have a mix
of cardio which increases your heart rate, and strength exercises which help to
reduce fatty tissue and build muscle mass.
Water
Dehydration increases oxidative stress so
be sure to drink at least 1.5 litres of filtered water a day, more if
exercising or on a hot day.
