I can remember a time when if you had high cholesterol, the first thing the doctor told you to do was limit the number of eggs you ate each week. This recommendation was based off the idea that the cholesterol we eat causes elevated cholesterol in our blood. Recent research has shown that, for most people, eating quality foods, like cage free eggs, that are high in cholesterol, does not necessarily cause high blood cholesterol levels or increased risk of heart disease. Let’s discuss…

Did you know that ~85% of the cholesterol in your blood is made in your liver, not from the food you are eating? Are you wondering why your body would need to make cholesterol when it seems we are constantly working to decrease it?

I’m glad you asked….

First, cholesterol plays very important roles in our bodies like making steroid and sex hormones, cell membranes and vitamin D. Your liver makes enough cholesterol to meet your body’s requirements, but we also get it from the food we eat. In your bloodstream, cholesterol and other fats are carried in circular shaped particles called lipoproteins. Two of the most well-known lipoproteins are:

High-density lipoproteins (HDL)

referred to as “good cholesterol”
removes other types of cholesterol from the blood

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL)

referred to as “bad cholesterol”
raises risk of heart disease
can cause plaque buildup in arteries

Problems can occur when our “bad cholesterol” levels are too high and “good cholesterol” is too low. Cholesterol deposits called plaques and inflammation can form in our arteries causing them to narrow and restrict blood flow leading to a stroke or heart attack. This is called coronary artery disease or heart disease.

Let’s talk about the 10 things we can do to decrease your “bad cholesterol”, increase your “good cholesterol” and decrease your overall risk of heart disease and plaque formation.

This seems like a no-brainer but you can be eating perfectly, exercising and living a healthy lifestyle but still be damaging your body by smoking. Chemicals in cigarette smoke can cause the blood to thicken and form clots inside veins and arteries. Smoking can increase plaque formation and narrowing of the arteries which carry blood to and from the heart. When coupled with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, smoking increases the risk of heart disease significantly.

Moderate physical activity has been shown to increase good HDL cholesterol. The recommendations are for at least 30 minutes most days per week. Activities can include:

Swimming
Brisk walking or jogging
Biking
Yoga
Fitness classes

Don’t worry, if you are mostly sedentary now but you have the ok from your doctor, start slowly with 5 or 10 minutes at a time and work your way up. Any movement is better than none! If you are dealing with injuries and pain and don’t know where to begin with exercise, contact us. We would be happy to help you develop your own personalized work out routine.

Trans fats can increase the bad cholesterol and decrease the good cholesterol. I know, you may say that trans fats were banned in the US back in 2021 but did you know there are still small amounts in the foods you are eating. A food can have less than .5 grams of trans fat per serving and be labeled as having zero. If you consume more than 1 serving of a food, those trans fats can add up. The only way to know if a food contains trans fats is by reading the ingredients and looking for partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. They are mainly found in processed foods like:

commercially made baked goods like cookies, cakes, and pies
nondairy coffee creamers
shortening and margarine
microwave popcorn
frozen pizza
fried foods like fried chicken, doughnuts and french fries
refrigerated doughs like rolls and biscuits

Soluble fiber comes from plant foods. It is called soluble fiber because it dissolves in water. Consuming it can promote decreased cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Foods which contain soluble fiber are:

lentils
apples
blueberries
nuts
beans
oatmeal

Consumption of omega-3 fats have been shown to decrease blood triglyceride (fat) levels which can also be a risk factor for heart disease. Sources of Omega-3’s include:

Cold water fish like salmon, sardines, makerel, cod and tuna
Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil
Chia Seeds
Walnuts
Pasture raised and omega-3 enriched eggs (Remember how I said you can still eat your eggs!!)
Meats and dairy products from grass fed animals

Recent research has suggested that sugar and all of it’s processed equivalents increases risk of heart disease, even more than saturated fat and cholesterol. Excess sugar intake can promote obesity, high blood pressure and chronic inflammation; all of which are pathological pathways to heart disease. If you haven’t had a chance to read our last blog called, “Added Sugar and It’s Many Hidden Names”, click here to read it. It is full of information about where sugar can be hiding in the products we purchase.

Current recommendations around daily sugar intake are:

less than 24 grams per day for women
less than 36 grams per day for men

Just for reference, 1 teaspoon of sugar=4 grams of sugar.

We have moved away from limiting foods that are high in cholesterol but there is still controversy around limiting saturated fats. Saturated fats are said to raise both the good and bad cholesterols. These fats are solid at room temperature and are highest in animal products including:

higher fat cuts of beef, pork and lamb
full fat dairy products
processed meats like bacon, sausage and hotdogs

Saturated fats are also found in some tropical plant foods like coconut and palm oils.

For people with high cholesterol levels and who are at risk of heart disease, The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fats to 6% of total calories per day. For example, if you are consuming 2000 calories per day, you can have 120 calories or 13 grams of saturated fat. There is less than 2 g of saturated fat in an egg.

“Healthy” weight is such a subjective term. As Dietitians, rather than using “ideal weight” based on height or BMI, we assess each person using their personal weight histories, muscle mass, health histories and individual goals before setting any type of weight goals.

With that being said, we do know excess weight can cause increased risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer and inflammation in general. For anyone with weight issues who suffer from any of the above, even a 10% weight loss can make a large difference with these numbers.

Inflammation is such a buzz word. It can be caused by physical assaults to our bodies like illnesses, wounds or injuries, poor dietary intake, excess alcohol intake or mental assaults like excess stress and depression. Inflammation is a natural process instigated by our immune systems when our bodies feel attacked. The short-term or acute inflammation is not the problem in heart disease but it’s the chronic or long-term inflammation that can cause the damage. It plays an important role in the formation and progression of plaques in the arteries.

How can you decrease inflammation? By following all of the previous steps we have discussed above. If you haven’t had a chance, click here to read our blog on “The 5 Easy Dietary Strategies to Decrease Inflammation”.

The last point I would like to make is the importance of taking care of yourself. You can be doing everything right to decrease your risk of heart disease but if you have a high stress job or family life, frequently overuse alcohol to relax, don’t get enough sleep and are constantly on the go, it won’t matter. Any of these things can derail the quality healthy choices you are making.

So you see, increasing your “good” cholesterol and decreasing your “bad” cholesterol as well as your risk of heart disease isn’t about one thing like cutting back on eating eggs. It is about taking care of your body as a whole by avoiding toxins like smoking, finding ways to move more through activity and exercise, choosing quality foods, getting enough sleep and finding ways to decrease stress.

Have you successfully decreased your cholesterol levels? We would love to know how you did it. Please share with us your secrets by commenting below.

10 Tips to Lowering Your Cholesterol Without Medications; While Still Enjoying Your Eggs

1. Don’t smoke

2. Exercise

3. Avoid Trans Fats

4. Eat More Soluble Fiber

5. Eat More Omega-3 Fatty Acids

6. Limit Sugar

7. Limit Saturated Fat Intake

8. Maintain a Healthy Weight

9. Decrease Inflammation

10. Stress Relief