8 great ways to maintain healthy cholesterol

Making simple lifestyle and food changes is a great way to lower your cholesterol. What are you waiting for?

Achieving a low cholesterol diet

While it isn’t always easy there are some small steps you can take to lower your cholesterol through diet.

1. Think fibre, fibre, fibre!

Many fibre-rich foods can help to manage cholesterol, but why and how? This important food component is a great help as it reduces the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream.

When thinking about fibre, remember that some fibres are better than others – such as water-soluble options like oat bran, psyllium seeds, guar gum or pectin. These form a gel that binds bile and cholesterol in the gut to allow for excretion as part of your bowel motions.

They have also been found to decrease the bad (LDL) cholesterol and improve the levels of good (HDL) cholesterol. Try swapping your current breakfast with Spiced Oat and Coconut Porridge and beware of added sugars in store-bought cereals that claim to be healthy.

2. Go fish

To maintain heart health, the Heart Foundation recommends that Australian adults consume about 500 milligrams of omega-3 (marine source) every day.

You can achieve this by eating a combination of two to three 150 gram serves of oily fish every week and/or by supplementing your intake with fish oil supplements (capsules or oil) and omega-3 enriched food and drinks.

3. No, sweetie

Few people realise that eating sugar promotes the production of cholesterol in the body. Sugar intake is high in the average person's diet to the point that many people are no longer able to identify more subtle degrees of sweetness.

If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels, then it is good to take a look at your sugar intake. Added sugar is found in many processed foods and sugar is addictive.

If you eliminate sugar from your diet for a while, you'll find that simple foods such as carrots and grains actually taste sweet. If you then try to introduce highly sweet foods or drinks such as soft drink into your diet, you will often find that you can no longer stand how sweet they are.

Keeping added sugar calories to less than 10% of your total calorie intake is recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Just remember that added sugar is found in many unexpected foods too – like cooking sauces, some dried fruit, tomato sauce and even coleslaw!

4. Reduce caffeine

Sadly, for caffeine addicts, there's a link between cholesterol levels and the consumption of coffee – particularly if you’re drinking a lot of it - around six cups per day.

5. The happy hour hazard

While you may have heard that drinking red wine lowers cholesterol, don’t be too quick to raise a glass or two to that! Alcohol filters through the liver so drinking too much can have a negative impact on cholesterol levels.

6. Get moving

There's a direct correlation between a person's level of physical activity and their cholesterol levels. Exercise has been shown to decrease total cholesterol while improving good HDL cholesterol.

7. Eat more plant sterols

To lower LDL cholesterol, the Heart Foundation recommends adults consume 2 to 3 grams of plant sterols per day from plant sterol enriched foods.

What is a plant sterol? A plant sterol is a naturally occurring substance found in foods such as vegetables, grains, beans, nuts, wheat germ and bran. Many foods are also fortified with sterols, like some cereals and margarine.

As a guide, one serve of plant sterol enriched foods is approximately: 10 grams of margarine spread (about 2 teaspoons); 45 grams of cereal (about 1 cup or two breakfast biscuits); 250 millilitres low-fat milk (about 1 cup); 200 grams of reduced-fat yoghurt (1 small tub). Find out more about which foods can lead to healthier cholesterol.

8. Stomp out stress

The link between stress and cholesterol has garnered more attention in recent years, so take time to relax.

Regular relaxation may help to keep your stress levels under control which is important as stressed individuals can be more inclined to smoke or drink, have little time for exercise and have less varied/nutritional diets. Some suggestions include meditation, relaxation CDs, exercise, yoga, reading or getting your worries down on paper.

Try to keep this in mind if experiencing a stressful period. While you may not feel that you have the time to make yourself a healthy breakfast or go for a short walk, prioritising your health is always a good investment.

A less-stressed you will also be able to function better, which in turn will help you to work through what is putting you under pressure.

Summary

In summary, managing healthy cholesterol levels is about eating the right kinds of foods and taking care of other lifestyle factors including getting regular exercise and leading an active lifestyle.

Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for advice tailored to your individual circumstances or if symptoms persist.