Six foods you should eat every day if you want to lower your cholesterol

Cholesterol is essential in our blood for maintaining health, but an excess can lead to serious and potentially fatal health issues. stats reveal that approximately 59% of the population have elevated cholesterol levels,

The cholesterol charity Heart UK warns that too much cholesterol can be deposited in the walls of your arteries – the major blood vessels circulating blood throughout your body.

The charity advises: "Anyone can have high cholesterol, even if you are young, slim, eat well and exercise. That's because high cholesterol can be caused by different things, including your genes."

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It says that while high cholesterol is prevalent, many remain unaware explaining: "High cholesterol is very common, but most people don't know they have it because it doesn't usually have any symptoms. That's why everyone should have a cholesterol check."

The charity outlines the dangers of excessive cholesterol, explaining: "Fatty areas known as plaques can form, and these become harder with time, making the arteries stiffer and narrower. This process is called atherosclerosis.", reports .

"When the arteries become narrower, it's harder for blood to flow through them. This puts a strain on your heart because it has to work harder to pump blood around your body. Eventually, the heart can become weak and can't work as well as it should.

"Blood clots can form over the fatty, hardened parts of the arteries (plaques). The blood clots can block the artery completely, cutting off the blood flow. Bits of the blood clots can break away and become lodged in an artery or vein in another part of the body, which can cause a heart attack or stroke."

However the charity's experts have some good news for those concerned about high cholesterol levels — there are measures you can take to lower them now if they're high, or to prevent them from rising in the future. They've outlined a list of cholesterol-busting food items and detailed how much of each should be consumed daily to reap the maximum health benefits.

They advise: "There are several foods which are not just part of a healthy diet, they can actively help to lower your cholesterol too. Try to eat some of these every day as part of your healthy diet.

"The more you add them to what you eat, the more they can help lower your cholesterol, especially if you cut down on saturated fat as well." Here is what they recommend:

Foods rich in unsaturated fats

Cut down on and replace it with unsaturated fats is great way to lower your cholesterol, says the charity. Foods which contain include:

• vegetable oils such as olive, sunflower, corn, rapeseed, nut and seed oils
• avocado, nuts and seeds
• fat spreads made from vegetable oils, such as sunflower and olive oil
• oily fish

Aim to eat two portions of fish per week, at least one of which should be oily.

The experts say: "Oily fish are a good source of healthy unsaturated fats, specifically a type called .

"A portion is 140g, but you could have two or three smaller portions throughout the week. Tinned, frozen or fresh all count e.g. salmon, sardines, pilchards, trout, herring and mackerel."

But it warns to avoid coconut and as, unlike other vegetable oils, they are high in saturated fat.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers. The experts explain: "They contain vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals which help you to stay healthy, and most contain little or no fat and are low in calories, so they can help you to stay a healthy weight. And, if you are eating more fruit and veg, chances are you're eating less of the other more energy-packed foods.

"Fruit and vegetables are also high in fibre, and some types of fibre can help to lower your cholesterol. It blocks some cholesterol from being absorbed from the intestines into the blood stream."

Good choices include pulses such as beans, peas and lentils as they are particularly high in this kind of fibre. Others include sweet potato, aubergine, okra (ladies’ fingers), broccoli, apples, strawberries and prunes are also good options.

Fruits and vegetables can be fresh, tinned, frozen or dried. however if you opt for tinned choose those in juice or water, without added sugar or salt.

However some fruit and vegetables are not included when it comes to getting your five-a-day. Potatoes, yams, cassava and plantains count as a starchy food, like rice or pasta.

while unsweetened fruit juice and smoothies are included but count only as one portion. The charity says: "More than one doesn’t count because the loose sugar and acid in them can damage your teeth."

You should aim for at least five portions of fruit and veg a day.

An adult portion is around 80g, or a handful. Make at least one of these beans, peas or lentils. Other options include:

• 3 tablespoons of vegetables – such as sweet potato, broccoli or okra

• 3 tablespoons of beans, peas or lentils – all options count, for example chickpeas, kidney beans, garden peas and red lentils
  2-3 cauliflower or broccoli florets
• half a large vegetable – such as courgette, pepper or aubergine
  half an avocado
• a medium sized vegetable – such as a turnip, parsnip, sweet potato, leek, tomato or carrot

• a medium sized fruit – for example, an apple, orange or banana
• 2 small fruits – such as plums or satsumas
• a handful of berries or grapes – and other small fruits like strawberries and prunes
• a good-sized slice of a larger fruit – such as a melon, mango or pineapple
• a tablespoon of dried fruit
• a 150ml glass of fruit juice
• a bowl of salad

Foods with added sterols and stanols

Sterols and stanols are plant chemicals which are a similar size and shape to cholesterol. Heart UK explains how they work saying: "They are absorbed from the intestines into the blood stream and block some cholesterol from being absorbed, lowering the cholesterol in your blood.

"We get a small amount of sterols from plant-based foods such as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, but it’s not enough to lower cholesterol. So, food companies have developed foods with plant sterols or stanols added to them, such as mini yogurt drinks, fat spreads, milk and yogurts.

"These fortified foods lower your cholesterol gradually, over a few weeks, and how much depends on the amount you eat. Some experts believe they are the most effective single food for lowering cholesterol."

While both sterols and stanols have been thoroughly researched, so they can be added to foods and are safe to eat some people cannot have them.

They are suitable for:

• People with high cholesterol – there’s no real benefit if you don’t have high cholesterol.
• Children with inherited high cholesterol such as familial hypercholesterolaemia – with support from a doctor or dietitian.
• People taking statins – sterols and stanols will help to lower your cholesterol further because they work in a different way to the statin.

They are not suitable for:

• Women who are pregnant or breast feeding.
• Children who do not have an inherited condition.
• They won’t have much effect if you are taking Ezetrol (Ezetimibe) because they both work in a similar way.

Aim for: one to three servings of fortified foods a day - you can get this by either:

• three servings of 2tsp fat spread
• one 115g yoghurt
• one fortified yoghurt mini-drink

This will give you 1.5 to 3g of stanols and sterols. Over three weeks, this could lower your cholesterol by up to 10%. There’s no extra benefit to having more than 3g a day.

Health UK advises: "To get the most from these foods, eat some every day and eat them with a meal rather than on their own. Look out for products labelled ‘fortified with stanols or sterols’. They can be branded, such as the Flora ProActiv and Benecol ranges, as well as supermarket own products."

Oats and barley

Oats and barley are grains which are rich in a type of fibre called beta glucan. The experts say: "Eating 3g of beta-glucan a day as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle can help to lower cholesterol.

"When you eat beta glucan, it forms a gel which binds to cholesterol-rich bile acids in the intestines. This helps limit the amount of cholesterol that is absorbed from the gut into your blood. Your liver then has to take more cholesterol out of your blood to make more bile, which lowers your blood cholesterol."

Aim for: three servings of the following oat-based products or barley per day to give you about 3g of beta glucans.

• a bowl of porridge – which is 30g of dry oats or a sachet of instant porridge
• a bowl of oat-based breakfast cereal flakes – around 30-35g
• 250 ml of Oat Drink containing beta-glucans (not all oat drinks contain beta-glucan so check to make sure)
• 1 breakfast cereal oat type ‘biscuit’
• 1-2 tbsp (13g) oatbran – try sprinkling it onto cereals or adding it to casseroles, stews, soups and smoothies
• 3 oatcakes
• 30g oats added to recipes
• 75g cooked pearl barley – try adding it to stews, casseroles and soups

The charity added: "Many products now contain oats, which makes it easier to get your two to four servings. Foods which have a claim on the label saying they lower cholesterol will contain 1g or more of beta glucan."

Nuts

Nuts are a good source of and are lower in , a mix which can help to keep your cholesterol in check. Heart UK says: "They contain fibre which can help block some cholesterol being absorbed into the blood stream from the gut, as well as protein, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium, natural plant and other plant nutrients which help keep your body healthy. They’re also filling, so you’re less likely to snack on other things.

Aim for: 28-30g of nuts a day, which is around a handful.

It adds: "All nuts count. Choose a variety and eat them instead of your normal snack or as part of a meal. Where possible, go for the kind with their skins still intact as they contain more nutrients."

Good options are:

• almonds
• macadamias
• brazil nuts
• cashew nuts
• hazelnuts
• pistachios
• walnuts
• peanuts
• pecans

Soya foods

Soya beans and the foods that are made from them are perfect for a heart-healthy diet, advises Heart UK. "They’re full of protein, vitamins and minerals, and they're low in saturated fat. Soya products are a good option for replacing foods which are high in saturated fat such as meat, full fat cream and dairy products, and snacks such as crisps."

Aim for: around two to three servings of soya a foods day.

One serving is:

• a large glass (250ml) of soya milk
• 150g plain soya alternative to yogurt
• 150g Greek-style soya alternative to yogurt
• 100g soya mince
• a handful of soya nuts (35g) – also known as roasted edamame beans, you’ll find them in the nuts and snacks section
• edamame beans, about 120g – you’ll find them in the frozen foods section
• 100g tofu – silken or firm