Through writing this blog over the last two years I’ve tried and tested lots of different ways to lower cholesterol naturally without having to resort to statins. Here’s a list of the tips I’ve found most useful in helping to lower my cholesterol and keep it low:-
1. Eat oats or beans every day
As they’re two of the top cholesterol-lowering foods, try to eat at least two thirds of a cup of oats and/or half a cup of beans every day. See this blog post for ideas on how to add more beans to your daily diet.
2. Add ground flaxseeds to your breakfast
Ground flaxseeds are another powerful cholesterol-reducing food, so aim to eat 1 tbsp a day by adding them to your cereal, muesli, smoothies or pancakes, or use them in things like curries and casseroles.
3. Remove skin & fat from cooked meats
Eating the skin and fat from cooked meats can increase cholesterol, so it’s best to remove it where possible.
4. Snack on apples, almonds & walnuts
Apples, almonds and walnuts actively lower cholesterol, so including them in your daily snacks will help to reduce your cholesterol.
5. Eat mostly low sat fat foods
Reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet will do wonders for your cholesterol levels. Aim to eat mostly foods that contain less than 1.5g saturated fat per 100g. Click here to read my post about how to reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet.
6. Use houmous in sandwiches instead of mayo
Houmous is made from chickpeas, which are a great cholesterol-lowering food. Find one you like the taste of and use it in your sandwiches instead of mayonnaise. You could also make your own houmous at home – recipe here.
7. Replace whole milk with semi-skimmed
Whole milk contains 1.9g saturated fat per 100g, whereas semi-skimmed contains just 1.1g, so this swap will help to lower your cholesterol.
8. Eat wholemeal bread and pasta
Wholemeal (wholegrain) bread and pasta contains dietary fibre, which will help to lower your cholesterol and keeps you fuller for longer.
9. Sprinkle seeds on salads and vegetables
Seeds are packed with dietary fibre and healthy fats that can help to lower cholesterol, so adding them to salads and vegetables can be hugely beneficial for your heart health. Here are some more suggestions on how to eat more seeds every day.
10. Use olive oil for frying and roasting
The heart-healthy monounsaturated fats found in olive oil can increase your good cholesterol and lower the inflammatory impact of bad cholesterol on your body. This blog post lists more ways to increase your good cholesterol.
11. Eat foods made with soya
Research suggests that soya products can help to reduce cholesterol naturally, so include foods like soya milk and yoghurts in your diet.
12. Snack on Edamame beans or olives
Edamame beans and olives are great cholesterol-lowering snacks and the best thing is they’re ready to eat and super healthy.
13. Eat lots of chicken, turkey and fish
Eat more lean meats, like chicken, turkey and fish, and fewer fatty meats, like pork and lamb. Beef is ok too (and important as a source of iron), as long as you go for the lower fat options like extra lean been mince and beef stir fry strips.
14. Drink plant sterol or stanol yoghurt drinks
Research has shown that drinking one of these a day can significantly lower your cholesterol in just 3 weeks. I had a Benecol yoghurt drink after dinner every day for 6 weeks, and I’m certain they played a key part in reducing my cholesterol. They’re not recommended for pregnant or breast feeding women and children under five years old, and also may not be suitable for anyone taking cholesterol lowering medication. It’s best to consult your GP before using any of Benecol’s products to make sure they’re suitable for your individual needs.
15. Snack on oatcakes with nut butter or houmous
Oatcakes make a great snack for any time of the day, and as they’re made of oats, will help to lower your cholesterol. Spreading them with nut butter or houmous will increase the cholesterol-lowering benefits even more.
16. Eat fat free natural yoghurt
Fat free natural yoghurt is a great cholesterol-friendly addition to all sorts of meals, like muesli, pancakes, chilli con carne and curries. It’s also a natural source of probiotics, which helps to maintain a healthy gut and immune system.
17. Sprinkle flaked almonds on curries
Almonds are one of the top cholesterol-lowering foods, so I try to eat them every day. Flaked almonds are very versatile and can be added to savoury dishes like curries, as well as muesli, pancakes and desserts.
18. Make pancakes with oats instead of flour
My cholesterol-friendly oat pancakes are super healthy and filling, and you can top them with other cholesterol-reducing ingredients like nuts and berries.
19. Use basil-infused olive oil as a salad dressing
I found a delicious and inexpensive basil-infused olive oil at Tesco a couple of years ago, and have been using it on my salads ever since. I don’t like faffing around with making salad dressings, so this is ideal, and it also helps to lower cholesterol.
20. Add blueberries to your breakfast
Blueberries can help to increase your good cholesterol, and they also contain lots of other health benefiting plant-nutrients, such as soluble dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins.
21. Use cholesterol-lowering spreads
Spreads like Benecol and Flora ProActiv contain plant stanols/sterols, which have been proven to actively lower cholesterol. This blog post includes more information on how much you need to see the benefits.
22. Add avocado to sandwiches and salads
The healthy fats in avocados help to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, so are a great lunch addition. Spread avocado on bread instead of margarine to make your sandwiches more cholesterol-friendly.
23. Eat two portions of oily fish each week
Eating healthy unsaturated fats, like those found in oily fish, has been shown to increase good cholesterol levels. Examples of oily fish are salmon, fresh tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines, anchovies and herring.
24. Roast vegetables in garlic-infused olive oil
Instead of faffing around with mincing garlic to flavour roast vegetables, simply drizzle them with cholesterol-reducing garlic-infused olive oil before putting them in the oven.
25. Poach or boil eggs instead of frying them
Poaching or boiling eggs instead of frying them means you don’t need to use butter or other unhealthy spreads. Read this blog post for advice on eating eggs when you have high cholesterol.
26. Replace white rice with brown rice
Brown rice contains more soluble fibre than white rice, which helps to increase your good cholesterol levels, and also keeps you full for longer. It takes a while to cook, so if you’re short of time, you can cheat by using microwavable packets.
27. Add apples, nuts and oats to your smoothies
Apples, nuts and oats are three of the top cholesterol-lowering foods, so packing them all into a daily smoothie will do wonders for your heart health. Try this delicious apple and mango smoothie recipe.
28. Use filo pastry instead of puff or shortcrust
You might be surprised to learn that filo pastry is low in saturated fat, so it can be included in a low-cholesterol diet plan. It’s pretty versatile too – you can make filo parcels like these turkey and mushroom ones or scrunch up strips to make a pie topping, like in this salmon filo pie recipe.
29. Choose soups that contain barley or beans
Soup is a great lunch option if you’re short of time. To make sure they’re cholesterol-friendly, choose soups that contains less than 1.5g saturated fat per 100g, and preferably ones that contain barley or beans for extra cholesterol-lowering benefits.
30. Add sesame seeds or cashew nuts to stir fries
The healthy fats in nuts and seeds can help to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, so adding them to meals like stir fries is an easy way to fit them into your diet, and they add a nice crunch too.
This is a lot of useful information as I am trying to cut the cholesterol in my family’s diet. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you so much for your kind comments. If you have any questions about lowering cholesterol in general, or need any more advice on cutting the cholesterol from your family’s diet then please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you. Have a great weekend. Alice
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Thank you for responding and I would like to stay in touch. Happy New Year to you. Annarose
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Found out today that my partner’s cholesterol level is so high, he’s basically ‘a solid’. In a panic I began researching what changes to make. After reading several of your postings, I feel calmer. We can do this. Thank you for the straightforward information and delicious looking recipes. Can’t wait to get started changing our lives.
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Hi Sheila, thank you so much for your very kind comments. I’m so pleased you find my website useful.
I hope your partner enjoys the recipes and is able to lower his cholesterol.
All the best
Alice
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Enjoyed your post. Lots of good information.
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Thank you so much Cathryn, I’m so pleased you found it useful. If you have any more questions about lowering cholesterol, please get in touch. Alice
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