Anyone can get high cholesterol, and it can be caused by different things. Some things you can control like lifestyle habits, others you can’t. As long as you take care of the things you can control, you’ll help lower your risk.
If you’ve been told you have high cholesterol, you can help reduce it through changes to your diet and getting more exercise. We have gone into more detail about ways you can help yourself below.
You can find out more about high cholesterol on the NHS UK website.
Here's how you can help
Lifestyle changes
Eat less fatty food – try to cut down on fatty food, especially food that contains a type of fat called saturated fat. Making small, sustainable changes means you are more likely to be able to keep it up long term. And make it fun! Try to ‘eat a rainbow’ – how many different coloured fruits and vegetables can you eat in one day?
You can still have foods that contain a healthier type of fat called unsaturated fat.
Check labels on food to see what type of fat it has in it.
Try to eat more:
- Oily fish, like mackerel and salmon
- Brown rice, bread and pasta
- Nuts and seeds
- Fruit and vegetables
Try to eat less
- Meat pies, sausages and fatty meat
- Butter, lard and ghee
- Cream and hard cheese, like cheddar
- Eggs
- Cakes and biscuits
- Food that contains coconut or palm oil
Exercise more – visit our wellbeing page to find out more and about local services that can help you
Stop smoking – visit our wellbeing page to find out more and about local services that can help you
Cut down on alcohol – visit our wellbeing page to find out more and about local services that can help you
