Lower Your Cholesterol With Food
Over time, the build-up of "bad" cholesterol in your arteries can lead to heart problems.
EXPERT ADVICE:
Lower Your Cholesterol With Food
Hyperlipidemia is a high cholesterol, or specifically high LDL (or "bad") cholesterol. Over time, the build-up of LDL cholesterol in your arteries can lead to heart problems.
Current guidelines
Your doctor may prescribe a statin drug to lower your cholesterol if you:
Have diabetes
Have hypertension (high blood pressure)
Have other risks for heart disease
Your diet matters
While newer (2013) guidelines focus heavily on statin drug therapy, it is still important to take control of your diet to lower your LDL cholesterol.
Studies show an improvement in LDL cholesterol of up to 30% (52mg/dL) can be achieved with diet changes.
Classic target lipid levels
Total cholesterol: below 200 mg/dL
Triglycerides: below 150 mg/dL
LDL (bad) cholesterol: below 100 mg/dL
HDL (good) cholesterol: ABOVE 60 mg/dL
Eat plant-based protein
The Portfolio diet is another good diet. It focuses on plant-based protein and emphasizes soluble fiber from oats, barley, psyllium, okra, and eggplant. It substitutes butter with a healthy spread made with plant sterols.
This diet may reduce LDL cholesterol up to 30% (a 52mg/dL decrease!)—equivalent to 20mg of lovastin and a low saturated fat diet.
Eat foods rich in fiber
Aim for 20 - 30 grams total fiber in your diet each day. Soluble fiber is best for lowering LDL cholesterol. It dissolves in water and is found in:
Oats
Beans
Nuts
Berries
Apples
Psyllium Powder
For every gram of soluble fiber you add to your diet each day, you may reduce you LDL by 1 mg/dL.
Replace trans fats with healthy fats
Completely eliminate trans fats (including hydrogenated fats). Replace with healthy fats—found in nuts, seeds, fish, avocados, and olive oil.
Lose weight
Just by losing 10 pounds, you may lower your LDL cholesterol by up to 8%.
Eat about 500 calories less per day-cut your biggest meal in half—to lose about a pound per week.
Follow the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is a delicious and effective way to lower your cholesterol as much as 10%, and your heart disease risk by up to 50%.
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