Veggie Blog

How to lower cholesterol through diet

Many people believe that the trend towards low cholesterol diets comes from young people dieting themselves to death, but this is not so. Keeping cholesterol levels in check is not only a matter of appearance but also of health. High cholesterol levels can cause a host of complications and diseases, including heart attack and stroke, which can even cause death.

Problems such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes come to mind. This is especially relevant for older people and those in middle age, because cholesterol levels tend to rise with age and the body’s processes, especially digestion and the conversion of fats to energy, slow down. This is perhaps why doctors often ask older people, especially those with weight issues, to reduce the saturated fat and cholesterol they eat.

What is cholesterol?

People have been talking about cholesterol, but do they know what it is and how it affects the body? Because of the rising number of heart problems in the country, cholesterol has become a public enemy. Everybody thinks that cholesterol is bad.

Actually, not all cholesterol is bad for the body. In fact, our bodies need cholesterol to make bile salts. It is also a main ingredient in maintaining hormonal balance and in the production of vitamin D. Things become troublesome when the levels get too high and the cholesterol builds up in the arteries, making it hard for the blood to flow and the heart to pump.

There are two kinds of cholesterol, the good and the bad. LDL is the bad kind. It sticks to the artery walls and forms plaques that eventually narrow the passage. Saturated fats and trans fats raise LDL, and they are often found in packaged foods such as potato snacks and baked goods.

HDL, on the other hand, is the good kind and helps to lower LDL levels. It picks up LDL cholesterol from the artery walls and carries it to the liver, where it is removed from the body. Unlike LDL, HDL is not something you eat: your body makes it. Regular exercise, not smoking and healthy fats, such as those in nuts, fish and olive oil, help keep HDL levels up.

People who need to lower their LDL levels are also advised to eat plenty of fruit because of the fiber it provides. Oats, cereals and legumes are also great sources of soluble fiber, which can help combat the rise of LDL cholesterol and so reduce the risk of heart disease.

Factors that affect cholesterol levels

Contrary to popular opinion, it is not only food that matters when dealing with high cholesterol levels. There are actually a lot of factors that affect the condition. One of them is age and gender: levels tend to rise as we get older. Another is physical activity. Exercise can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL, and it also strengthens the body and tones the muscles. Genetics, weight and smoking play a role too.

Lowering cholesterol levels

From what was said above, it seems wise to lower cholesterol levels, if one has the discipline to see it through. Just eat right and exercise regularly, limit packaged and fried foods, and you are on your way to lower cholesterol levels.

The old version of this post said that high cholesterol is linked to a long list of diseases, that most people eat a diet high in saturated fat and “LDL,” and that a low-cholesterol diet plan should not be a fad. The advice to treat the diet as a long-term habit is good, but LDL is not a food, so I have rewritten the post to follow what health agencies actually recommend.

Why follow a low-cholesterol diet plan?

MedlinePlus explains that too much LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood can build up on artery walls and raise your risk of coronary artery disease. The old post called heart disease the number one killer in the U.S., and that is still true: the CDC reports that heart disease was the leading cause of death in 2023. Food is one of the main things you can change. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) and DASH eating plans can help you lower your LDL.

What does the TLC plan ask for?

The numbers from MedlinePlus are a good guide for a plan:

Get 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories from fat, with less than 7 percent from saturated fat (about 13 grams on a 2,000-calorie diet). Eat less than 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol a day. Aim for 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber. Include about 2 grams of plant stanols and sterols, omega-3 fish twice a week, and no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day. Limiting salt will not lower cholesterol, but it lowers blood pressure and heart risk.

Which foods do the work?

The old post says that fiber “soaks up” cholesterol and carries it out of the body, and names apples, oranges, pears, oats and carrots. MedlinePlus describes it this way: soluble fiber helps prevent your digestive tract from absorbing cholesterol. Its list of high-fiber foods includes oatmeal and oat bran, apples, bananas, oranges, pears, prunes, kidney beans, lentils and chickpeas. Carrots are a healthy vegetable, but they are not on that list. Saturated fat, found in some meats, dairy products, baked goods and fried foods, raises LDL more than anything else in your diet, so swap it for unsaturated oils such as olive or canola oil. For specific meals, see how a good diet can lower cholesterol: one example day.

What could one week look like?

This is my own template, not a prescription, and portion sizes depend on your calorie needs. Start the day with oatmeal and fruit. For lunch, have lentil or bean soup with a salad. Eat fish such as salmon or canned tuna twice a week. Make vegetables half the dinner plate, and snack on an apple or a handful of nuts. Keep dessert occasional. The NHLBI recommends preparing foods with little or no salt and eating a variety of nuts. For a longer list of foods to choose, read how to lower cholesterol through diet.

Is diet enough?

Sometimes it is not. The NHLBI says that your provider may also recommend medicines, and that adults with overweight can lower LDL and raise HDL by losing 3 to 5 percent of their body weight. Genes, other conditions and some medicines also affect cholesterol. Ask for a test, and use understanding your cholesterol numbers to read the results. For more recipes and swaps, see MedlinePlus on lowering cholesterol with diet.

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The old version of this post said that high cholesterol is a growing problem, that heart disease is “highly preventable,” and that lowering cholesterol naturally is possible through diet, exercise and supplements. That is partly true, and this rewrite keeps the question and checks each part against reliable sources.

Why does cholesterol matter?

MedlinePlus explains that too much cholesterol in your blood can stick to the walls of your arteries and narrow or even block them, which raises your risk of coronary artery disease and other heart diseases. According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, heart disease was the leading cause of death in the United States in 2023, with 680,981 deaths, or 22.0 percent of all deaths. The old post said heart disease is “highly preventable.” A healthy lifestyle lowers your risk, but it cannot guarantee that you will avoid it, especially if your genes or other conditions are involved.

Which natural steps have good evidence?

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute lists these lifestyle changes for lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol:

Eat heart-healthy foods, such as in the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) and DASH eating plans, which limit saturated fat and favor whole grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Get regular physical activity, which can lower LDL and triglycerides and raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Aim for a healthy weight, because losing only 3 to 5 percent of your body weight can lower LDL and raise HDL. Manage stress, quit smoking, sleep 7 to 9 hours a night and limit alcohol. This matches the old post’s advice on diet, exercise and quitting smoking, and adds weight, sleep and stress.

What about the foods the old post named?

The old post recommended soy products, vegetables, fruit and high-fiber foods. MedlinePlus agrees that soluble fiber helps prevent your digestive tract from absorbing cholesterol, and suggests 10 to 25 grams a day from foods such as oatmeal, oat bran, apples, oranges, pears, beans and lentils. It also recommends keeping saturated fat below 7 percent of your daily calories. For a food-by-food guide, see eating to lower cholesterol with oats, fruit, beans and healthy fats.

Do niacin and lecithin work?

The old post said B-complex vitamins, niacin in particular, and lecithin can lower cholesterol. This is the weakest part of the old text. Niacin in doses high enough to affect cholesterol is a drug-level dose and should be used only under a doctor’s supervision, and I could not find solid evidence that lecithin supplements lower cholesterol. Our post on cholesterol, vitamins and drugs looks at the evidence for both.

When is medicine needed?

The old post said drugs are mostly for high-risk patients. The NHLBI puts it differently: your provider may recommend lifestyle changes and medicines, and the plan depends on your cholesterol levels, your risk of heart disease, other medical conditions and your lifestyle. Statins are the most common medicine and, according to the NHLBI, lower the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with high LDL cholesterol. If you have a strong family history of high cholesterol, lifestyle changes may not be enough on their own. Never stop a prescribed medicine without talking to your provider.

What should you do next?

Ask for a cholesterol test and learn what the numbers mean in understanding your cholesterol numbers. Add exercise and cholesterol to your routine, and use the CDC’s data brief on U.S. deaths in 2023 as a reminder of why it matters.