TOP 3 TIPSTo Lower Cholesterol 1 E A T A L O W

GLYCAEMIC DIET High glycaemic load foods i.e. bread and cakes made

from refined white flour, rapidly release glucose into the

bloodstream. This then gets stored as fat, increasing your

Triglyceride levels, which over time pushes your

cholesterol levels even higher.

Low Glycaemic load foods have had little

or no processing i.e. fruits, vegetables,

pulses (beans & lentils) and wholegrains.

As a result, they release glucose much

more slowly in to the bloodstream.

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A LOW GLYCAEMIC DIET

THAT IS BENEFICIAL FOR HEART HEALTH!

2 E A T OMEGA 3 F A T S

Studies show that Omega 3 Fats not

only lower cholesterol on average by

12% but can also decrease the levels of

harmful triglycerides in the blood by

29%, as well as lowering the bad LDL

Cholesterol by 32% & increasing HDL

by 10% .

Omega 3's also help to reduce

the inflammation that's linked

with heart disease.

Omega 3 Fats are found in oily

fish i.e. salmon, mackerel,

kippers, sardines & herrings.

It's important to avoid the

really bad fats that are heavily

processed, such as trans-fats:

the kind found in margarine &

industrially produced baked

goods

SALMON, MACKEREL,

KIPPERS, SARDINES

& HERRINGS

3 PLANT STEROLS& SOLUBLE FIBRE

Plant Sterols are present in

pulses i.e. beans & lentils. The

most researched plant sterol

is soya. Regular consumption

of 1-3g of plant sterols per day

lowers the bad LDL

Cholesterol by 5-15%.

Foods such as oats and barley

contain a type of fibre known as

beta glucan, which helps to reduce

cholesterol. Daily consumption of

3g of soluble oat fibre typically

lowers cholesterol by 8-23%. For

every 1% drop in cholesterol

levels, there is a 2% decrease in

the risk of developing heart

disease.

To help lower cholesterol, aim for

30-35g fibre rich foods per day.

Check out some other fibre rich food sources, from the list below:

Pears: One medium pear has 6g of fibre.

Berries: While all fruit contains some fibre, berries are especially good sources —raspberries and

blackberries have 8g of fibre per cup & are rich in heart healthy anti-oxidants.

Avocados: contain 7g fibre per 100g. They are also a fantastic source of monounsaturated fat, which

can help improve cholesterol levels, decrease the risk of heart disease, and improve brain activity.

'LOVE YOUR HEART' My Plan recommends roughly 50g

of plant sterols a day in the form of tofu, tempeh or soya milk.

Soya not your thing? You can get your

plant sterols from almonds, beans

& lentilstoo!