What is cholesterol, and what are foods that lower cholesterol? - Group Talk – Week Commencing 30th June 2025.
- friendsonajourney2
- Jul 9
- 4 min read
Cholesterol is a type of blood fat which is made in the liver. It can also be found in the foods we eat.
Our bodies require cholesterol to keep us ticking over; however, too much can clog our arteries, leading to health issues, such as heart disease. There is cholesterol in every cell in our bodies. Cholesterol plays a vital role in how our bodies work; cholesterol is especially important in our brain, nerves and skin.
Cholesterol has three key roles;
It's part of the outer layer, or membrane, of all our cells.
It's used to make vitamin D and steroid hormones which keep our bones, teeth and muscles healthy.
It's used to make bile, which helps to digest the fats we eat.
There are two key types of cholesterol, LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) Cholesterol and HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) Cholesterol.
LDL cholesterol is often referred to as 'bad cholesterol' due to the fact that too much of it can clog our arteries, for example, causing heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. Our bodies do require LDL cholesterol, but not too much.
HDL cholesterol is often referred to as 'good cholesterol', as it carries cholesterol away from our cells back to our liver to be broken down, preventing disease.
The cause of elevated cholesterol and triglycerides is often linked to a diet high in saturated fats and not being active enough, resulting in the fats not being used as energy. genetic conditions resulting in fats not being processed as required or other medical conditions.
Triglycerides are another blood fat; however, mostly they enter our bloodstream after a meal; a few are made by the liver. Triglycerides are packaged within lipoproteins along with cholesterol. When they reach the cells throughout our bodies, they are used for energy or stored for later. Raised triglycerides can increase the risk of heart disease and can cause pancreatitis.
Lipoproteins are compact parcels of fats (lipo) and proteins (protein) that carry the fat around the body, as fat can't travel in the blood alone.
Anyone can have high cholesterol, including those that are young, slim, eat well and exercise. This is due to high cholesterol being caused by different things, including our genes.
High cholesterol is extremely common; however, very few know their cholesterol is high due to the lack of symptoms. In fact, we should all have an NHS health check every five years between the ages of 40 and 74.
High cholesterol causes deposits to be laid down in the walls of our arteries; over time, these fatty areas form plaques, making arteries stiffer and narrower, known as atherosclerosis. The narrowing puts the heart under pressure to push the blood around the restricted arteries, and as they narrow, blood clots can cause blockages, resulting in heart attacks.
Suffering with atherosclerosis can lead to
Coronary heart disease
Angina
Heart attacks
Strokes
TIA's (Transient Ischaemic attacks) mini strokes
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
Acute coronary syndrome
Heart failure
Vascular dementia
There is good news, as we can lower our cholesterol and triglycerides with lifestyle changes.
Let's first see what foods raise our cholesterol. Foods high in saturated fat and sugar can raise our cholesterol, for example;
Fatty meats
Full-fat dairy (Butter, Cream, Ghee)
Palm and Coconut Oil
Processed foods (biscuits, cakes, pastries and chocolate)
Consuming too many sugary foods and drinks and refined carbohydrates can raise our cholesterol. Refined carbohydrates are stripped through processing of their natural fibre, vitamins and minerals. i.e.,
White flour
White bread
Low-fibre cereals
White rice and pasta
Pastries
Sugary drinks
Crisps and sweets
Certain foods contain what's known as dietary cholesterol; these have very little effect on the cholesterol within our blood, i.e., eggs, shellfish (prawns, crab...), and offal (liver, liver pâté, kidneys...). These are low in saturated fat and are all right to eat as part of a healthy diet.
The foods we should consume to help lower our cholesterol as part of a healthy balanced diet are swapping saturated fats for unsaturated fats and eating more fibre. These simple swaps can make a significant difference to our cholesterol levels.
For example, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, avocados and oily fish are all healthy fats that can support the maintenance of healthy blood cholesterol levels, making smart swaps, i.e.,
Butter to sunflower oil, Olive oil or rapeseed oil
Whole milk to skimmed milk
Double cream/Sour cream to natural yogurt
Full-fat meat to leaner/lower-fat cuts 5%
swapping read or processed meat for fish, turkey, chicken, without the skin, or plant-based proteins such as lentils, soya
Switching crisps for unsalted nuts and seeds
Using reduced-fat cheese instead of full-fat cheese
Swapping takeaways for healthy fakeaways
Fibre helps reduce our cholesterol levels, as it reduces the amount absorbed into the bloodstream from our digestive system (intestine)
Eating 30 g of fibre a day
Eating a variety of 30 plants a week, i.e., whole grains, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. Remembering different colours hold different benefits and count as different plants. i.e., red, yellow, and green peppers are three plants in a meal.
In addition to the food we eat lowering our cholesterol, being active supports our bodies to move the LDL cholesterol to our liver, where it can be removed out of our system. Again, being active doesn't mean joining a gym; just take the stairs instead of the lifts, a brisk walk instead of a saunter, yoga, pilates, etc.
Reducing our alcohol intake allows our liver to work better at removing the LDL cholesterol; it can also support our heart's health by reducing our weight and lowering our blood pressure.
Reducing and lowering our LDL cholesterol levels is important, as it reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
We can do this by following a healthy, balanced diet and being active where we can.
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