15 Easy Ways To Cut Your Cholesterol

Recent research shows that just a small reduction in cholesterol can cut your stroke and heart attack risk by a staggering 80%

- Tanya Pearey

1 Cut back on cake

Saturated fat in cakes, biscuits, pastries and so on raises cholesterol levels – the fatty substance in our blood that is vital for healthy cells. We need it to make vitamin D and hormones, to keep bones strong and digestion working properly. ‘But too much cholesterol can lead to a blockage of your arteries, causing stroke and heart attacks,’ says Woman’s Weekly GP Dr Gill Jenkins. An estimated half of us in the UK have levels that are too high.

2 Get gardening

Being active for 30 minutes at least five times a week can help lower your ‘bad’ cholesterol and raise your ‘good’, as well as improving the health of your heart and circulation generally. And you don’t have to run marathons or join a gym to benefit. Things such as gardening, housework, washing the car and walking more all count. Just so long as it makes you feel slightly warm and out of breath.

3 Eat oily fish once a week

Fish such as salmon and mackerel are full of cholesterol- lowering monounsaturated fats. Other helpful foods include soya, oats, barley, avocado, pulses and beans. And every little helps, according to a Cambridge University study. It found that a small reduction in cholesterol and blood pressure could cut your risk of a fatal heart attack by more than two-thirds.

4 Know the good from the bad