10 ways to lower your cholesterol

Are you fighting to squeeze into that old summer swimsuit? While you're losing weight, cut down on your cholesterol as well. Mount Maunganui dietitian Fiona Boyle of Food Solutions outlines 10 tips for success:
1. CHANGE YOUR FATS
Try to stop eating animal-based and saturated fats like butter, and use products with plant-based fats, like olive oil, rice bran oil and margarines. This should help you reduce what you call bad cholesterol, or low-density lipoproteins.
Many people think margarine is bad, maybe because they think butter is more natural. From a cholesterol point of view, reversing your saturated fats is easily managed and beneficial.
2 EAT MORE GREENS
I suggest having eight servings of fruit and vegetables a day. A serving is what you can fit in the palm of your hand, like a good serving of broccoli, or a whole apple.
You should also get in a good colour range _ all different colours means you're getting those different antioxidants.
Frozen vegetables are just as good as fresh vegetables and at different times of the year may be a cheaper option.
3 GO THE WHOLE GRAIN
Eat your breads and cereals and have wholegrain as much as possible. It helps to change to breads that have a low glycaemic index, so the food enters your system more slowly. It's useful for reducing cholesterol through weight management and it can help you control your appetite because low glycaemic foods are more satisfying.
4 EAT FISH TWICE A WEEK
Omega 3 fatty acids benefit your blood fat levels and, if you can, I'd suggest eating fish at least twice a week. Tinned fish, like tinned salmon and tuna, are good, too.
5 EXERCISE REGULARLY
Regular exercise certainly helps. If you're going for a walk, make sure it's a brisk walk _ a gentle stroll around the neighbourhood won't cut it.
Exercise is good for your heart. It helps increase your protective type of cholesterol.
6 WATCH YOUR PORTIONS
Make sure you limit your portion sizes at dinner time. Meat, like fish or chicken, should make up one portion, or one quarter of your plate. Another portion should be your rice, pasta or potatoes; foods that are starchy. The other half is vegetables. Try to have at least three different types of vegetables.
7 SHUN FATTY TAKEAWAYS
If you're going to McDonald's, ask yourself whether you need a drink and chips with your meal, and don't take the extra size up.
A Big Mac and medium fries contains nine teaspoons of fat, while a plain hamburger and small fries has four teaspoons.
One piece of fish and a scoop of chips from the takeaway shop have 12 teaspoons of fat, whereas one grilled fish and homebaked oven chips have only four teaspoons.
A single meat pie has six teaspoons of fat whereas a wholegrain bread roll has about three.
8 READ THE LABELS
It's always a good idea to check nutritional information on products you are buying. As a general guideline, look for less than 10g of fat per 100g in breakfast cereals and crackers. You want less than 2g of saturated fat per 100g in any other product.
9 RESIST THE URGE TO FRY
Look at healthier ways of preparing food. Rather than frying, try baking, grilling or barbecuing.
10 EAT LOW-FAT DAIRY
Dairy products can contribute significant amounts of saturated fat. Switching to low-fat milk such as green or gold-top milk and low-fat cheese will help to reduce your total saturated fat intake.
For more information, visit www.foodsolutions.net.nz
ABOUT CHOLESTEROL
Cholesterol is the fatty substance produced by your liver from the fats in your food.
Our bodies need cholesterol to work properly. It is carried around your body via blood vessels by proteins.
Too much cholesterol can cause a fatty build-up which narrows your blood vessels. This is called atheroslerosis.
If your cholesterol level is too high, your doctor may recommend taking medication. Many people who take cholesterol-lowering medication need it for life.
You should have your cholesterol measured every three months until it is under control. From then on it needs to be checked every six months.
Source: National Heart Foundation