If you’re anything like me, you’ll have had times in the past when you’ve started a new food or exercise plan with lots of enthusiasm and good intentions, then after a few weeks the old habits started creeping back in, until eventually you ended up back where you started.

But this time was different, as I was determined to find a long-term eating plan to lower my cholesterol permanently and avoid needing medication. I wanted to find a ‘diet’ that I could stick to; one that didn’t feel like a diet at all.

These are the 3 rules I followed to help me to stay on track:-

1. Start with small changes

I’ve found in the past that if I try to change too much in one go, then I’m more likely to give up after a few weeks. So when I started my cholesterol lowering diet in 2016, instead of completely overhauling my existing diet, I made 2 or 3 small changes a week.

For example:-

• Swapping my normal bread for a high fibre version (see this post).
• Replacing my usual toast topping with nut butter or avocado.
• Swapping my normal breakfast cereal with a high fibre version (see this post).
• Adding nuts/seeds to my meals.
• Eating an apple with my usual snack.
• Adding a few tablespoons of beans (e.g. butter beans or pinto beans) to my meals.
• Eating a cholesterol-lowering yoghurt drink every day, like Benecol.

2. Find recipes you love

Instead of trying brand new recipes, I started out by making small adjustments my usual meals. For example, I replaced a third of the meat in most of my meals with cholesterol-lowering beans. Then, once I’d settled into the new diet, I started looking for new cholesterol-lowering recipes to try. Some weren’t great, but I found others that I really loved, and eating them didn’t feel like being on a diet at all.

I’d recommend not veering too far away from the normal types of food you eat. For example, if you love curries, then look for cholesterol-lowering version, like these:-

• Beef Madras
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Chickpea peanut butter curry
• Super quick fish curry

For more cholesterol-friendly recipe ideas, click here.

3. Allow yourself ‘cheat’ meals

I would find it impossible to stick to a low cholesterol diet 100% of the time because sometimes I really crave high fat foods, like cheeseburgers and creamy curries. So I try to stick to low cholesterol eating 80% of the time, and eat the high fat meals I crave once or twice a week without feeling like I’ve fallen off the wagon.

What I’ve found over the years, is that when I eat a high fat meal, I actually crave lower cholesterol foods for the rest of the day, and the following day. So allowing myself to eat the foods I crave in moderation has helped me to stay on track in the long term.

Also, when I’m on holiday, or staying with friends, I don’t worry too much about trying to stick to low cholesterol eating for 80% of the time. I usually find by the last day, I’m actually looking forward to getting back into healthy eating again, so I get a renewed enthusiasm for the ‘diet’.

Other blog posts you may like:-

• The Top Cholesterol-Lowering Foods
• 24 Easy Ways To Include Cholesterol-Lowering Foods In Every Meal
• Quick Cholesterol-Friendly Meals & Snacks For Busy People