HEALTH Lower your cholesterol without medication

SENSIBLE CHOICE Opt for lean chicken over fatty red meat.

Lower your cholesterol without medication


Nurturing
Judith McElhinney

Heart disease is the number one killer in Ireland, accounting for 36 per cent of all deaths, and this rate may be higher in rural areas, like Co Mayo. Many factors are involved in heart disease risk, some of which you have no control over, like age and family history. However, there are also factors you can control, like high cholesterol.
Although needed by the body, an excessive amount of cholesterol increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. LDL, the ‘bad’ cholesterol, is the main ingredient in artery-blocking plaque. HDL, the ‘good’ cholesterol, delivers cholesterol from the cells to the liver, so it can be removed from the body. In simple terms, you want your LDL cholesterol to be lower, and your HDL cholesterol to be higher.
Dietary cholesterol comes from animal-derived foods only and is not found in plant-based foods. However dietary cholesterol is poorly absorbed, and up to 80 per cent of your cholesterol is actually made in your liver. The amount of cholesterol your liver produces is influenced by diet and lifestyle, and simple changes can be very effective in improving levels.
If the diet is rich in saturated fat (meat, cheese, butter) and trans fat, the liver increases its production of LDL cholesterol. Reduce your red meat and dairy-product intake to two or three times a week. Instead, enjoy oily fish like salmon or mackerel, as well as beans, lentils and poultry. Avoid chips, fried foods and shop-bought pastries and baked goods, which are full of trans fats (usually labelled as hydrogenated fat). The plant sterols in raw nuts and seeds can further help to lower LDL cholesterol. As a snack, eat a handful of mixed almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
High-carbohydrate foods (bread, pasta, potatoes, sugary foods) get converted in the body into a form of fat called triglycerides. Triglycerides have a seesaw relationship with HDL cholesterol. As triglycerides goes up, HDL goes down, so you need to limit these foods in order to maintain higher levels of the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.
Cholesterol binds to fibre to be removed from the body, so a low intake of fibre can contribute to high cholesterol by causing constipation. Increase your intake of fibre with fruits, vegetables and porridge oats, and ensure you drink six to eight glasses of water per day.
Being overweight increases your LDL and decreases your HDL. However, if you’re overweight, weight loss of just 5-10 per cent can improve cholesterol and blood pressure. Regular exercise also helps raise your HDL levels – aim for 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days a week.
Underlying problems like an underactive thyroid or digestive problems can also influence your ability to clear cholesterol from the body. These can be explored and supported through nutritional therapy.
By taking these simple steps, you can start to take control of your own health, and what could be better than doing that at the beginning of a new year?

Judith McElhinney is a nutritional therapist based in Westport. She can be contacted at 087 2615150 or at living@mayonews.ie. For more details, visit www.thefoodcoachonline.com.