Question: “I’m in my early 30s and recently diagnosed with very high cholesterol. It has me worried! I don’t smoke or drink and I’ve had a ‘healthy’ BMI all my life. I’m reluctant to immediately start medication without first exploring dietary changes. What foods are best at lowering cholesterol? What foods should I absolutely avoid? And what should I be paying most attention to on nutrition labels?”
– Rowan MacDonald, Tasmania
Expert advice: Exploring dietary changes is a great way to modify your risk, however if you do have a family history of high cholesterol, a healthy lifestyle and diet alone may not be enough to reduce your cholesterol levels. Best to speak to your doctor about this.
Whether you have a family history or not, it’s important that you eat a well-balanced diet that will help to improve your cholesterol profile.
A heart-healthy diet includes fresh fruit and vegetables, and whole grains such as grainy bread, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, quinoa and rolled oats. Lean sources of protein, including seafood and legumes (chickpeas and lentils); reduced-fat dairy products or calcium-fortified soy alternatives, and healthy fats like avocado, oily fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds are all part of a balanced diet.
Limiting saturated fats primarily found in fatty meats, full-fat dairy, coconut oil, and many ultra-processed and fried foods is important. These foods may raise LDL (bad) and lower HDL (good) cholesterol.
Reading food labels can help you make informed choices and support your heart-healthy eating plan. When looking for heart-healthy nutrition labels, refer to the quantity per 100g or ml column so you can compare different brands of similar products. Aim for less than 2g of saturated fat per 100g and opt for high-fibre products greater than 5g per 100g.
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For more advice on cholesterol, we recommend: Take control of your cholesterol or Eat to beat high cholesterol
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