Habits That Will Help You Lower Cholesterol

Let’s start with the basics, what is cholesterol? It’s a waxy substance your liver makes to help build cells and produce important vitamins and hormones. You can also get it from animal-based foods. Cholesterol itself isn’t “bad,” your body actually needs it. But too much of it, especially the wrong kind, can raise your risk for heart disease and stroke.

There are two main types of cholesterol: LDL (the “bad” kind) and HDL (the “good” kind). High cholesterol doesn’t usually cause symptoms, so getting your levels checked at least once a year is key to knowing where you stand and how to protect your heart health.

If you’ve had your cholesterol levels checked and found out you either have high total cholesterol and/or LDL, or low HDL levels, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s estimated that about 86 million U.S. adults 20 or older have total cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dL (under 200 is considered ideal).

Image from Clevelandclinic.org

Now let’s discuss what habits you can start taking a closer look at to support healthy cholesterol levels and overall heart health.

1. Focus on your diet
   While it used to be said that dietary cholesterol in the foods we eat affect our blood cholesterol levels, more research has shown that’s not the case. In fact, blood cholesterol levels are negatively affected much more by saturated and trans fat intake. That means eggs are back on the menu! The biggest thing to focus on when it comes to your diet is increasing your dietary fiber intake through foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Fiber binds to LDL cholesterol and helps remove it from the blood, making fiber-rich foods one of the best things to focus on first!
   
   • Try to limit your saturated and trans fat intake as well. These are commonly found in foods like butter, full fat dairy products, high fat and highly processed animal meats, and fried foods.
   • Cook with liquid cooking oils such as olive or vegetable oil and avoid cooking oils that are solid at room temperature such as coconut oil, butter, lard, or beef tallow.
   • Focus on lean protein options such as chicken, turkey, seafood, and plant-based proteins.


2. Move Your Body
   Diet isn’t the only thing that can have a positive impact on cholesterol levels, exercise can make a big difference as well! Research has shown that regular aerobic exercise can raise HDL levels – which is good! The recommended amount of regular physical activity is 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week. My biggest recommendation when it comes to exercise is try to fit in any movement you can, when you can.
   
   • Done with a meeting early? Take a quick walk outside or around the office.
   • Spending 3+ hours a day on your phone scrolling? Take 30 minutes to get a workout in instead.
   • We tend to overcomplicate fitting movement into our schedules, so start by setting some small realistic goals for yourself.


3. Quit Smoking
   Smoking can increase LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol. The more you smoke, the more your cholesterol is negatively impacted. Even the occasional smoking habit can have these affects. But quitting can help improve your levels within weeks, and can even return your levels to near normal assuming your other habits are in check. If you’re ready to quit, visit this site to find options to help!


4. Enough and Quality Sleep
   Poor sleep and sleep deprivation is another habit you may not realize is contributing to poor cholesterol levels. Not getting enough or good quality sleep throws off our hormones, increases inflammation in the body, and can contribute to increased stress, all of which impact cholesterol production in the body.
   If you’re struggling to get 7-9 hours of good quality sleep regularly, check this page out for some tips to help improve your sleep.

Finally, remember that genetics play a role too. Some people are predisposed to higher cholesterol no matter what they eat or how much they exercise, which is why regular checkups are so important. Talk with your healthcare team about your numbers and the best plan for you.