A new study from University of California,Davis, has revealed the mechanisms behind the long-known connection between brain health and cholesterol. Low levels of “good” cholesterol, known as HDL and high levels of bad cholesterol – LDL – are associated with negative effects on memory. But the opposite is true for people who have relative high levels of HDL and lower LDL cholesterol.
Many people take statin drugs to help manage their cholesterol levels. But if you’re concerned about your cholesterol, you can make sure you’re getting sufficient exercise and also eating right. Here are just some small changes you can make in your diet to increase your good cholesterol, lower the bad and protect both your brain and heart health:
- Eat more whole grains. They add a good amount of soluble fiber to your diet, which is important because soluble fiber can lower LDL cholesterol and in turn improve your health. Try to up your intake of oats, barley, bran and similar whole grains.
- Reduce your cholesterol intake to eat less than 200 milligrams of it per day. Sources of dietary cholesterol include egg yolks and organ meats like liver. For example, when baking, you can replace a whole egg with two egg whites in most recipes.
- Replace other snacks with a handful of heart-healthy nuts like almonds and walnuts. These are packed with polyunsaturated fatty acids – a healthy type of fat that is good for keeping the blood vessels open. Nuts are also chock-full of protein, fiber and vitamins.
- When cooking, avoid palm or coconut oils, which are full of unhealthy saturated fat that increases cholesterol. Instead, use olive, corn, soybean, peanut, sunflower, canola or safflower oils.
- Add more fruits and veggies to your diet. They contain heart-healthy soluble fiber and an array of other nutrients that are good for your cholesterol levels.
