Lower Your Cholesterol
By Joanie in Lifestyle Tips on 15 August 2020
There are 2 main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Eating too many foods high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood. A diet high in saturated fat may raise your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which will raise your risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
So what are Saturated Fats?
Saturated Fats that are tightly packed with no double bonds between the fatty acids are called saturated fats. There are some exceptions, but most are solid at room temperature such as butter.
Sources of saturated fat include:
- fatty pieces of meat such as beef and lamb
- some pork and chicken products
- dairy products including cream, whole milk, butter, shortening, and cheese
- coconut and palm oils
What are Unsaturated Fats?
Unsaturated fats contain one or more double or triple bonds between the molecules. As oils, these fats are liquids at room temperature. They are also found in solid foods. Eating foods that contain unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat can actually help reduce cholesterol levels.
Try to replace foods containing saturated fats with small amounts of foods high in unsaturated fats. High cholesterol levels are a major risk factor for heart disease.
Thankfully, you can lower this risk by incorporating certain foods into your diet.
Here are 10 Cholesterol-Lowering Foods to add to your diet:
- Avocado
- Nuts – Walnuts & Almonds in paticular
- Fruits & Berries
- Vegetables including dark leafy greens
- Whole Grains – Such as oats and barley
- Olive Oil
- Fatty Fish such as salmon
- Artichokes
- Flax Seed
- Garlic