What should you eat to lower your cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that all human beings have in their blood.

It is a vital component to a healthy body but you can have too much of a good thing and high levels of cholesterol are unhealthy.

Foods that will likely increase your cholesterol include sausages, biscuits, cheese and cake.

Speaking to The Hard Shoulder, Mindful Eating Coach and TV Chef Aisling Larkin discussed the fact that there are two types of cholesterol and it is helpful to know the difference.

“We have dietary cholesterol - which is the cholesterol we have in food, we ingest it,” Ms Larkin said.

“Then we have the cholesterol that is naturally made in our bodies - which is essential.

“We need it for metabolism, we need it for cell membrane structures, hormones, testosterone, vitamin D.”

A man cooking in the kitchen fire.

For many people it can be something of a balancing act getting the right amount of cholesterol and Ms Larkin said you have to be smart about your diet.

There are, however, a number of foods she recommends people eat that will benefit their cholesterol.

“Oats - three by 30 grams in a day,” she said.

“Nuts - 30 grams per day.

“Soya, between 25 and 30 grams per day and then plant stanols and sterols - which are these functional foods that we have.

“You want to be getting in two grams of your stanols per day.”

For those looking to cut their cholesterol further, the HSE also recommends regular exercise, reducing alcohol consumption and stopping smoking.

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Main image: Close-up of nuts. Picture by: Alamy.com