Foods to reduce and control high cholesterol

There are a few foods which can increase the levels of HDL or good cholesterol in your blood naturally, while also reducing the LDL and TGL levels. These are basically foods rich in unsaturated fats (polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats), omega-3 fatty acids and soluble dietary fiber (a type of fiber found in many seeds and nuts and fruit pulp, among other foods), etc.

To increase the amounts of these foods to control high cholesterol, a therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) diet plan is recommended, so that you consume adequate amounts of all these foods throughout the day or week.

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Choosing the right oils for cooking is a crucial step towards healthy eating, especially in countries like India. However, some types of oils are full of saturated and trans fats - these are neither good for your cholesterol nor for your heart in the long run. It is, therefore, best to use oils rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. The following are some such oils that you can use:

• Olive oil
• Rice bran oil
• Canola oil
• Sunflower oil
• Soybean oil
• Safflower oil
• Peanut oil

It’s also important to remember that nuts and seeds also have plenty of healthy fats, which is why you should eat adequate amounts of nuts like almond, walnut, cashews, peanuts, etc., and seeds like flaxseed, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.

Eating foods high in dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber (which dissolves in water), is very important to lower your cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber can actively reduce the levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) in your blood. Whole grains and legumes are rich in soluble fibers, so you must include them in your diet. 

You should include the following whole grains in your diet:

• Oats, oat bran and oatmeal
• Barley
• Quinoa
• Millets, example Ragi
• Whole wheat
• Brown rice
• Black rice
• Red rice
• Wild rice

You should include the following legumes in your diet:

• Kidney beans
• Chickpeas
• Black-eyed peas
• Lima beans
• Lentils like green grams (moong daal), masoor, black gram (urad daal), etc.

(Read More - Ayurvedic treatment for High cholesterol)

It doesn’t matter if the fish is sourced from a river or a sea, whether it’s fatty or lean, eating fish can help to lower your cholesterol. Fish is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids, adequate amounts of which can actively lower your triglyceride levels. While fish does not reduce LDL levels, it plays a huge role in increasing HDL levels, which is a good way to control your cholesterol levels. Include the following types of fish in your diet for best results:

• Salmon
• Tuna 
• Mackerel
• Tilapia
• Trout
• Sardines

Your doctor will tell you to avoid prawns or shrimp if you have high cholesterol levels. However, if your cholesterol is manageable or you are following this diet to prevent high cholesterol, eating a small portion of prawns once a month won’t do much harm.

(Read More - Dyslipidemia treatment)

Most fruits and vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, and are extremely rich in plant stanols and sterols - which work as soluble fibers. Stanols and sterols are exceptionally good at absorbing cholesterol, which is why they are even available as supplements in pharmacies and manufactured edibles like granola bars and chocolate sometimes.

However, if you maintain a predominantly vegetarian diet and include a wide variety of fruits and vegetables instead of taking supplements, you will get enough sterols and stanols to naturally reduce your cholesterol levels. You should include the following fruits and vegetables in your diet:

• Eggplant or brinjal
• Okra (bhindi)
• Peas
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Gourd
• Beans
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Amaranth
• Apples
• Avocado
• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruit, etc.

Proteins and dairy products often form a central part of our meals, but if you have high cholesterol levels, keeping their consumption in check is very important. This is because animal proteins and dairy products have a lot of unhealthy fats. This is why patients with high cholesterol are recommended to:

• Avoid red meat, and instead eat lean meats like chicken, eggs, fish, turkey, etc.
• If you consume dairy products, avoid full fat and creamy products. Opt for low-fat milk, skimmed milk and cheeses like paneer, ricotta, mozzarella and feta instead.

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The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes or TLC diet is considered to be one of the most effective, heart-healthy diets that can help reduce your cholesterol levels. According to the United States’ National Institutes of Health, this diet includes foods which are low in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol while delivering good flavours that can satisfy your taste buds. Since the TLC diet is not a deprivation diet, it can be easily followed and sustained for the rest of your life. The following is the daily breakdown of the TLC diet for you to follow:

There are a number of foods which you should limit or avoid completely to fight high cholesterol levels. The following are some such foods and habits which you should avoid.

Frying food not only kills the nutrients in the base ingredients but also ensures that saturated and trans fats are absorbed in them. The calories in fried foods are also very high. Apart from increasing your cholesterol levels, fried foods can also lead to heart diseases, obesity and diabetes.

Red meat like mutton and pork have a high fat content, which may increase your cholesterol levels. Processed meats like sausages, salami, cold cuts, etc are easy to use, but they are also full of unhealthy fats and sodium.

To be sure, researchers have not yet found a direct link between food cholesterol and body cholesterol. However, years of clinical evidence show that a high fat diet - especially one with more unhealthy fats and processed foods - leads to poorer health outcomes, one of which is higher cholesterol buildup in the arteries (atherosclerosis).

(Read More - Cholesterol Test)

Most cakes, cookies, Indian sweets, etc., are filled with sugar and added calories, which can spike your cholesterol levels. What’s more, a number of Indian sweet dishes, like gulab jamuns, boondi laddoos, gujiya, etc., are deep-fried - which is also likely to increase your cholesterol levels.

High cholesterol levels also increase your risk of other diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes.

(Read More - High Triglycerides treatment)

Consuming alcohol can lead to increased triglycerides, weight gain, and lower your HDL levels. Alcohol consumption should, therefore, be avoided or limited to two small drinks a day for men and one small drink a day for women, according to the US National Library for Medicine.

Cigarette smoke contains a chemical called acrolein which reduces the efficiency of HDL (good cholesterol) to take cholesterol from the body to the liver for excretion. Over time, the ill-effects build up and make smokers more prone to atherosclerosis.

Research shows that smoking causes damage at the cellular level, which affects how cholesterol is processed in the body. Smoking also affects the health of our blood vessels, making them more susceptible to the buildup of cholesterol plaque.

(Read More - Home remedies for atherosclerosis)