What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of fat made by the body. It is usually attributed to heart disease and strokes, however, that is only the case if the levels in your body are too high. Cholesterol is still essential for good health. High cholesterol can come about as the result of an unhealthy diet and lifestyle.
What causes high cholesterol?
High cholesterol can be caused by eating too much saturated fats. Research has shown that by reducing our intake of certain foods that contain saturated fats cholesterol levels can begin to improve.
Foods help to lower cholesterol
There are some foods which are naturally low in saturated fat or that do not contain cholesterol. These types of foods are good to include in a healthy diet plan that has the aim to lower cholesterol.
Some examples include:
- Porridge
- Oat breakfast cereals
- Oatcakes
- Baked beans
- Lentils
- Vegetables such as aubergine, turnip, sweet potato
- Soya milk rather than milk
- Tofu
- Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans and cashews
Foods to avoid
If you are looking to lower your cholesterol levels you need to work from a diet that does not include foods that are high in saturated fats.
Some foods to avoid include:
- Butter
- Hard margarine
- Lard and goose fat
- Fatty meat e.g sausages
- Full fat cheese
- Full-fat milk and cream
- Coconut oil
Learn more about Oxford Online Pharmacy's cholesterol service by clicking here.
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