Nutrition Cholesterol
Eating for healthy
Eating a balanced diet can help keep your cholesterol at a healthy level, but are there foods should you eat more of and some you should have less often?
cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance called a lipid that’s carried in your blood by proteins. You need cholesterol for your body to function normally. But having too much in your blood can increase your risk of some serious health conditions, including atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), heart attack, stroke and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Mostly made by the liver, cholesterol can also be found in
some foods. If you eat healthily and are physically active it can help keep your cholesterol at a good level and even help lower your cholesterol if yours is raised. In fact your GP may have suggested you make changes to your diet if your cholesterol is higher than it should be. Here’s what you should know about what you eat and how it affects your cholesterol levels:
Fruit, veg and fibre A healthy diet should include at least five portions of different fruits and vegetables a day (according to the cholesterol charity Heart UK an adult portion is around 80g
22 All About health
or a handful). This is helpful if you’re keeping an eye on your cholesterol because most fruit and veg are good sources of fibre, and according to the NHS eating plenty of fibre can help lower your risk of heart disease. Some high-fibre foods – including fruit and veg – can also help lower your cholesterol. Other foods that are high in fibre include:
• Wholegrains (including oats, barley, wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals)
• Beans (including soya beans and soya foods), peas and lentils
• Nuts and seeds • Jacket potatoes (or any potatoes with their skins)
The NHS recommends eating at least 30g of fibre a day, which is considerably more than the average daily 18g eaten by most adults in the UK. So if you think you’re not getting enough, try to always have some fibre-rich foods with each meal and snack you have during the day.
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