Diet and Cholesterol
How altering your diet can reduce high cholesterol
Diet and cholesterol
You can take a statin and lower the amount of cholesterol in your blood. And we know that Crestor is particularly good at lowering your blood cholesterol levels. Nevertheless, the current advice states that the best way to treat high cholesterol is to follow a diet lower in saturated fat, in addition to drug therapy, if required.
It is known that both eating a healthy diet and being physically active can help to lower the levels of cholesterol in your blood.
Foods that contain cholesterol
Some foods contain cholesterol. Foods that are rich sources of cholesterol include liver, eggs, kidneys and prawns. However, the amount of cholesterol in our diet has less effect on our plasma cholesterol levels than the amount of saturated fat in our diet. So you only need to reduce your intake of foods high in cholesterol if your doctor specifically advises you to do this.
The most important thing you can do is cut the amount of saturated fat in your diet. It's also good practice to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet, so that you are eating at least five portions a day.
Saturated Fat
Fat from animal (but NOT fish) origin is usually high in saturated fat. Certain meat based foods are formulated to be very high in animal fat, and these are a significant source of saturated fat. Foods that should be avoided include:
- meat pies, sausage rolls, Cornish pasties and similar
- sausages, chorizo, salami, high fat mince and burgers
- lard, butter, ghee
- cream, cream cheese
- hard cheese (but cottage cheese is okay)
- cakes and biscuits
- palm oil, coconut oil or foods containing either.
In addition, trans fats can elevate cholesterol levels. Trans fats are normally found in hydrogenated fats - i.e. fats that would normally be liquid at room temperature but have gone through a hydrogenation process to solidify them. This can include some margarines; or hydrogenated fats can be used as ingredients in processed products and fast food.
However, it's not all bad news. Unsaturated fats are thought to help reduce blood cholesterol levels. In addition, fish oils are thought to be particularly beneficial and it is a good idea to eat oily fish at least twice a week. Salmon, pichards, mackerel, trout and sardines are all types of oily fish (but not tuna canned in oil!)
Other foods high in unsaturated (including monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) include avocados, nuts, seeds, sunflower, olive and corn oils and spreads.
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