Generally, when talking about Cholesterol, we talk about Total Cholesterol, HDL (often called “the good” one) and LDL (often called “the bad” one).

In fact, there is only cholesterol and it is essential for good health!

What makes the difference is the type of molecule that carries the cholesterol around the body – low density lipoprotein or high density lipoprotein. It is the balance between HDL, LDL and triglycerides that is important. We make the majority of cholesterol in our own body (in the liver) where it is used to make hormones, Vitamin D and to produce bile acids to aid digestion.

Managing your cholesterol is a complete lifestyle issue

It is about:
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Maintaining a healthy body (so you don’t need drugs and medication)
• Avoiding excessive alcohol
• Managing the saturated fats and trans fatty acids that you consume
• Exercising
• Avoiding Smoking

If you have high cholesterol, it is not simply a matter of cutting out foods that raise cholesterol, although this is what your doctor may focus on the most when you go to see him. Research confirms that there are increasing types of foods that influence how cholesterol is absorbed and how the body handles it. Cholesterol lowering foods can be just as powerful in controlling your cholesterol as taking cholesterol lowering medication (and of course don’t have any harmful side effects) provided you take them just like you would a medication! And because their positive effect is confirmed by scientific research, they can carry the claim that they help to lower cholesterol.

Start to include these as part of your daily nutrition plan and say goodbye to high cholesterol forever!

Oats

Perhaps a true “superfood” when it comes to cholesterol, oatmeal contains soluble fiber which appears to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in our intestines, and binds cholesterol thus reducing the low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, apples, pears, barley and prunes.

Eating 10 grams of fiber each day appears to do the trick – reducing cholesterol by about 5%. 1 ½ cups of cooked oatmeal provides 6 grams of this!

In the USA, food manufacturers are allowed to make positive health claims about oats and their contribution to lowering cholesterol.

Oily/fatty fish (salmon, sardines, anchovies)

Research has supported the cholesterol-lowering benefits of eating fatty fish. Fatty fish contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which not only lowers LDL, but it raises the healthy HDL – so a double benefit!

Omega-3 fatty acids also reduce blood thickness and inflammation in the body, helping to reduce blood pressure, lower the risk of blood clots and protect the body from disease. Omega-3 fatty acids significantly reduce the risk of sudden death in people who have already had a heart attack

Doctors recommend eating at least two servings of fatty fish a week. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are in mackerel, trout, herring, sardines, tuna and salmon. However, a word of warning. Make sure that you bake or grill your fish if you want to get the most out of it! Don’t spoil such a good thing by frying it!

If you don't like fish, there are lots of other alternatives, including flaxseed, canola oil, and of course omega-3 fish oil supplements.

Walnuts, Almonds and More!

Studies have shown that walnuts can significantly reduce blood cholesterol. With less than a cup of walnuts a day, you may reduce your cholesterol by 12%! Walnuts are rich in both Omega 3 and Omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. They help keep blood vessels healthy and elastic.

Almonds appear to have a similar effect – resulting in marked improvements in cholesterol levels in only four weeks. Eating a handful of most nuts every day (almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachio and walnuts) may reduce your risk of heart disease.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, eating about a handful (1.5 ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts, may reduce your risk of heart disease.

However, a word of warning – all nuts are quite high in calories and some have higher levels of saturated fat – so you only need a handful. However, nuts are a much better option than cheese or the fattier cuts of meat.

Garlic

We have known for a long time that garlic helps to kill bacteria and fungi and can alleviate some digestive disorders. It also lowers the blood clotting properties of blood. However, more notably, garlic has been receiving a lot of attention because of its possible effect in lowering cholesterol levels. It is believed that garlic’s anti-oxidant properties protect the “oxidation” of LDL, making it less damaging.

Olive Oil

Olive oil contains a great mix of antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol but leave your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched. Some research suggests that the cholesterol lowering effects of extra-virgin olive oil are even greater. This oil is less processed and contains even more anti-oxidants. Olive oil is also rich in monounsaturated fats.

It is so easy to incorporate olive oil into your diet on a daily basis. Saute or roast your vegetables in it, use it in all of your marinades, add it to lemon juice or vinegar for your salads, and substitute it for butter just like the Mediterranean’s do!

Avocado

Much like olive oil, avocado is rich in monounsaturated fats. Avocado can easily be made into a guacamole, sliced and used in salads or simply spread on toast.

Sterol- and Stanol-fortified Foods

(fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds)

These are rather complicated names for particular fibres found in foods and, believe it or not, in wood pulp! They have a similar structure to cholesterol, but are more difficult to be absorbed and end up competing with and block cholesterol absorption.

They come naturally in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. However, because the western diet is much lower in these compounds than the Asian diet, food manufacturers have now started to include them in several other types of food – including yogurts, margarines and fruit drinks.

I recommend getting them from the natural sources so that you gain from all of the other health benefits that you will find in fruits, vegetables, etc. Eating these types of foods regularly and on a daily basis can reduce LDL by more than 10%. Plant sterols and stanols do not appear to affect the levels of triglycerides or the HDL cholesterol. Nor do they interfere with the absorption of important vitamins such as A, D, E and K.

Cinnamon

A study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduces blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It also reduces triglyceride and LDL (the bad cholesterol) and the total cholesterol level.

Apples

We have all heard it so many times – an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Apples contain a pectin – a soluble fibre – that helps draw cholesterol out of the system. Also, the flavanoids in apples as a very powerful anti-oxidant that seems to block the process that leads to LDL accumulating in the bloodstream.

Grapes

Similarly, the flavonoids in grapes act as a powerful anti-oxidant, protecting LDL from free radical damage and lowering LDL levels. This comes from a compound that grapes naturally produce to resist mould – and the darker the grape, the better.

Blueberries

Research suggests that the pterostilbene in blueberries helps to block cholesterol. It is likely that other dark red/blue berries have a similar effect (e.g. cranberries and blackberries.

Soy

Soybeans contain isoflavones and soluble fiber. The Isoflavones act like human hormones that lower LDL and raise HDL cholesterol levels. The soluble fiber acts in a similar way to oats. All soy products (soybeans, soy nuts, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc.) are complete proteins.

Exercise and alcohol

Don't forget that other lifestyle changes are also important to improve cholesterol ratios, including 20-30 minutes daily of moderate exercising, such as a brisk walk, and sticking to healthy guidelines on alcohol consumptions (two-three units daily for women and three-four units daily for men).

This feature has been reviewed and the advice given has been fully endorsed by Dr. J. Lidder, Clinical Lead of Galen Health on Harley Street (www.galenhealth.com)