Your diet plays a crucial role in how healthy the cholesterol levels in your body are. Eating foods that keeps cholesterol within a healthy range can help prevent health issues, including heart attack or stroke.
Too much cholesterol can be life-threatening, says Zintle Mayekiso (21), a psychology student from Gqerberha.
Mayekiso says she tries her best to manage cholesterol using olive oil and Himalayan pink salt in her diet. “Pink salt, for example, contains minerals that are not present in normal salt. Pink salt contains traces of potassium, calcium, magnesium, iodine, iron, and zinc, among other things, that sea salt does not.”
She tells Health For Mzansi that diets rich in plant-based foods can save you a world of trouble in the long run.
“I think we can substitute carbohydrates with fibre-rich veggies and drink plenty of water. In that way, I think we can combat our bodies’ cholesterol levels.”
‘You are what you eat’
Tantaswa Ndlelana (50), a self-confessed “gym bunny” from Lower Cross Road in the Cape Flats, says “we are what we eat”.
She adds that if people would eat more healthy and exercise then they wouldn’t be met with health problems like cholesterol. To keep her cholesterol levels in check, Ndlelana tries her best to stay away from foods that are high in preservatives.
“Having to consume anything you want, whatever junk, sweet or sour, has implications. I think our bodies work overtime when we ingest handfuls of toxic foods, even if it doesn’t show instantly, but there is a cost to pay in the long term.”
Health For Mzansi reader Tantaswa Ndlelana
Ndlelana believes that eating too much sugar and fat raises cholesterol levels in our bodies. She says that we should normalise cooking meals by using methods like boiling and steaming.
“We should make it a habit to purchase more veggies with good oils and plan our meals ahead of time to prevent eating takeout as an alternative. Vegetables, fruits, and chicken are quick and simple to cook, and they are healthy if they are cooked well.”
What’s diet got to do with it?
Shani Cohen, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA), explains that cholesterol is a waxy substance that is found in all of your cells and has several useful functions, including to build your body cells.
She says what you eat can change how much cholesterol is in your blood.
“There are certain foods that make your ‘bad’ cholesterol levels higher than normal. On the other hand, other foods can help lower your bad cholesterol and increase your good cholesterol.”
Registered dietitian Shani Cohen
Animal products, including meat and dairy, are considered to be food that are high in saturated fats.
“These fats increase our bad cholesterol levels. Processed foods such as pies, pastries, and baked goods also contribute to increased cholesterol levels due to them containing unhealthy trans-fats.”
Foods and beverages high in sugar such as sweets, chocolates, and cold drinks can also increase our bad cholesterol levels, she says.
“On the contrary, healthy fats that come from oily fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna, pilchards and sardines), avocado, nuts, seeds, and olives all help to increase our good cholesterol levels and are anti-inflammatory.”
What’s high cholesterol caused by?
Cohen says, there are many factors that put you at risk for high cholesterol:
- Family history of heart disease or high cholesterol levels;
- Age – your risk increases as you get older;
- Other pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease;
- Smoking;
- Lack of exercise or sedentary lifestyle;
- Being overweight; and
- A poor diet.
Here’s how you can reduce cholesterol:
To reduce cholesterol levels, Cohen recommends avoiding these foods in your diet:
- Avoid full cream dairy products by opting for lower fat dairy products such as fat free or low-fat milks, yoghurts and cheese.
- Avoid refined (white) sugar, starches and opt for whole grain or high fibre grains like whole wheat bread, pasta, rice, or barley.
- Avoid fat and skin on animal products by trimming visible fat and removing skin before cooking.
- Avoid frying foods in oil, and rather opt for boiling, steaming, grilling, roasting, baking and braaing.
- Avoid a sedentary lifestyle and implement 30 minutes of exercise 5 times per week.
- Limit alcohol intake – the recommended intake is 1 drink for females and 2 drinks for males per day.
- Limit our red meat intake to twice per week, and consider increasing plant-based proteins such as beans and lentils in our diet.
- Avoid sugar sweetened beverages and make water our primary source of drink.
- Avoid sugary snacks and include more fruits and vegetables daily.
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