Stay away from this food to lower cholesterol, cardiologist urges
High cholesterol affects more than two in five people in England, NHS data reveals. It occurs when there is too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in the blood. Certain groups of people are more likely to suffer from high cholesterol than others. For instance, if you’re a man, over 50, have been through the menopause, or are of South Asian or sub-Saharan African origin, you could be more at risk. However, it can also be caused by being overweight, not exercising enough, eating unhealthy food, and drinking too much alcohol.
Fortunately, there are changes you can make to keep your cholesterol levels under control. Eating healthy and getting more exercise can play a key role - and it is vital to take it seriously as too much cholesterol can block blood vessels and put you at risk of heart problems or strokes.
Dr Romit Bhattacharya, a cardiologist, said that high-fat dairy is for “growing infants who need cholesterol and fat in their diet to build their brains, their nerves, their bodies”. He explained: “When we’re eating full-fat dairy and meat, we’re ingesting a whole lot of dietary cholesterol—particularly saturated fat, which has consistently proven to increase cholesterol levels.”
He said that “message number one” was to decrease your saturated fat intake to at least less than 10 per cent of your daily calories. This means that the worst foods for high cholesterol are foods like red meat, baked goods, fried foods, and full-fat dairy items like cream, butter, and whole milk. He also advises against eating high amounts of tropical oils like palm or coconut oil.
However, there are foods you can eat that are good for your cholesterol levels. Dr Bhattacharya said: “Plants basically don’t make cholesterol. So, if you’re worried about cholesterol, eating plants is going to help. And among plants, high fiber content is important. It cleans out your gut, it allows you to detoxify, it feeds your gut microbiome in a healthy way, and it can help prevent cholesterol from absorbing into your bloodstream.”
Foods to consume that can support a low-cholesterol diet include plants like spinach and leafy greens, high-fibre foods, whole grains like oats or brown rice, fruits and berries, nuts like walnuts or almonds, and lean, oily fish.
It is also important to keep consistent, Dr Bhattacharya advised. “Fad diets don’t work as well. They can get you down briefly, but then—boom—you’re back up. Maintaining healthy cholesterol is really about consistency of effort,” he said. “If you’re doing 80% of the right things 80 per cent of the time, that’s a great start.”
You should ask your GP for a cholesterol test if you’ve never had one before, are over 40, overweight, or high cholesterol and heart problems run in your family, the NHS says.
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