3 weeks Ago By Fiona Callingham
Health experts have revealed seven simple food swaps that could help you slash your cholesterol levels. Making these changes will cut down the amount of saturated fat intake - a major cause of cholesterol. Having high cholesterol means you have a high amount of a fatty substance known as cholesterol in the blood.
While a certain amount is needed by the body, an excess can prove dangerous. This is because it can build up in the arteries, causing blockages. The arteries can also harden and narrow in a process called atherosclerosis, a contributing factor in heart attacks and strokes.
There are a number of things that can raise the risk of high cholesterol but diet is one of the most important. More specifically, a diet high in saturated fats is known to cause cholesterol levels to spike. A simple way to tell saturated fats from unsaturated, is whether they are solid or liquid.
According to the Mayo Clinic , saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature. The most common sources of saturated fats are meats and dairy products. In contrast, unsaturated fats are typically liquid at room temperature.
They include vegetable oils, nuts and fish. Examples of foods containing saturated fats include: Foods baked or fried using saturated fats Meats, including beef, lamb, pork as well as poultry, especially with skin Lard Dairy products like butter and cream Whole or two percent milk Whole-milk cheese or yoghurt Oils from coconuts, palm fruits, or palm kernels To minimise the amount of saturated fat you eat and therefore lower your cholesterol, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) suggests making certain swaps in your diet. These are: Swapping butter to vegetable oil spreads like sunflower, olive or rapeseed oil spreads Switching whole milk to skimmed milk Using natural yoghurt instead of sour cream or double cream Replacing regular mince with leaner, lower fat options Swapping red or processed meat for fish, turkey or chicken without the skin, or plant-based proteins such as lentils, soya or Quorn Switching your crisps for unsalted nuts or seeds Using reduced fat cheese instead of regular cheese They also advise cutting back on take out, and cooking more regularly at home.
Other ways to help lower your cholesterol include eating more fibre, exercising more, quitting smoking, and cutting back on your alcohol intake. Healthy levels for different types of cholesterol are typically considered to be: Non-HDL cholesterol - 4mmol/L or below HDL cholesterol - 1mmol/L or above for men and 1.2mmol/L or above for women LDL cholesterol - 3mmol/L or below Total cholesterol - 5mmol/L or below Fasting triglycerides - 1.
7mmol/L or below Non-fasting triglycerides - 2.3mmol/L or below If your cholesterol levels are above this or you are concerned about your cholesterol levels you should speak to your doctor..
