How to Lower Your Cholesterol & Triglycerides

We commonly measure:

1. LDL, or the "bad" cholesterol
2. HDL, or the "good" cholesterol
3. Triglycerides, another type of fat in your blood

What makes them go up?

• LDL: poor diet, lack of exercise, age, and genetics
• Triglycerides: consuming sugar and refined carbs, being overweight, lack of exercise, alcohol, having uncontrolled diabetes, some medicines, and other health problems

High LDL and triglycerides can both clog your blood vessels over time. This can cause a heart attack, stroke, or poor blood flow to your legs, among other issues.

The good news: What you eat and how you live can help lower your "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides.

Read more here.

Eat more of these:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains (oatmeal, brown rice, etc.)
• Beans, lentils, and peas
• Nuts and seeds
• Fish
• Healthy oils (olive oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil, etc.)
• Avocados

Eat less of these:

• Saturated fats, which are solid at room temperature
• Red meat, bacon, sausage, and deli meats
• Butter and full-fat milk
• Fried and deep-fried foods
• Coconut and palm oil
• Sugary drinks and candy
• Packaged snacks
• All processed foods

Try this: Fill your plate with plants, pick fish or chicken instead of red meat, and cook with liquid plant oils instead of butter. Small daily swaps add up over time and make a real difference for your health.

Making the diet changes for high LDL above can help. For high triglycerides, the most important thing is to cut back on all carbohydrates and eat more good fats and healthy proteins.

Eat less of these:

• Sugary drinks (soda, sweet tea, fruit juice, etc.)
• Candy, cookies, cake, and other sweets
• White bread, white rice, and other refined carbs. If you do eat a small amount of carbs, choose whole grains (oats, brown rice, whole wheat bread, etc.).
• Fried foods and foods high in saturated fat, like fatty red meat
• Alcohol, which can raise triglycerides quickly

Eat more

• Fruits and vegetables
• Beans, lentils, and peas
• Nuts and seeds
• Fish
• Healthy oils (olive oil, sunflower oil, avocado oil, etc.)
• Avocados

The good news: Healthy habits can lower your triglycerides a lot. Some people are able to reduce them by more than 50% by cutting back on sugar and refined carbs. If you're overweight, reducing total calories, especially from carbohydrates, can help.

You do not need a special or fancy diet. The following eating plans are well studied and have been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides and protect your heart. They all share the same idea: more plants, less saturated fat.

1. Mediterranean diet
   
   • Focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, fish, and olive oil. It includes very little red meat and butter.
   • Read more here.
2. DASH diet
   
   • Rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. It also limits salt, which helps blood pressure.
   • Read more here.
3. Plant-based (vegetarian or vegan) diet
   
   • Built around vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, and nuts, with no meat. Adding fiber, soy, and nuts can lower your cholesterol even more.
4. Portfolio diet
   
   • Focuses on improving cholesterol by diversifying what you eat.
   • Read more here.

Pick the one that fits your life and the foods you enjoy. You do not have to follow it perfectly. Even small steps toward these ways of eating can help your heart and your cholesterol.

Food isn't the only thing that helps. Other healthy habits can protect your heart and improve your cholesterol.

1. Move your body.
   
   • Aim for about 150 minutes of activity that gets your heart going (brisk walking, biking, swimming, etc.) each week. That's about 30 minutes most days.
   • Try to do muscle-building exercises 2 days a week.
2. Reach a healthy weight.
   
   • If you're overweight, losing even 5% to 10% of your weight can lower your triglycerides by about 20% to 30%. Losing more can help even more.
     
3. Do not smoke.
   ‍
4. Limit alcohol.
   
   • If you drink, keep it to a small amount: no more than 14 drinks a week for men and 7 a week for women.
   • If you have high triglycerides, cutting back can help, but some people need to completely stop.
     
5. Take your medicine.
   
   • If your doctor prescribes a cholesterol medicine, take it as directed. Healthy eating and exercise work alongside medicine; they don't replace it.
     
6. Make sure other medical conditions are controlled.
   
   • Keep your blood pressure low (ideally under 120/80) and your blood sugar below the prediabetic/diabetic range (for diabetes, aim for an A1C below 7).
     

Making a few of these changes and sticking with them can lower your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Whey protein

• Take 20 to 60 mg a day as a supplement or powder.

Psyllium (Metamucil)

• Use it to add more fiber to your diet.
• Try to get at least 25 to 35 g of fiber a day between your diet and the supplement.