How to Lower Cholesterol With the Mediterranean Diet

When you hear the word "diet," it probably conjures up ways to reduce food intake and calories to lose weight. The Mediterranean Diet isn't a weight-loss diet. It's actually a heart-healthy eating plan. It's based on the conventional diets of some of the countries of the Mediterranean Basin. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, limiting red meat, eating fish, substituting herbs for salt, and eating whole grains are some of the ways the Mediterranean Diet improves your health. Eating in accordance with the diet can also lower your cholesterol.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables every day, especially the ones that contain soluble fiber. According to www.optimal-heart-health.com, if you eat 5 to 10 g of soluble fiber daily, it can reduce bad cholesterol by 5%. Broccoli, carrots, apples, bananas and peaches are a few examples.

2. Use olive oil, which is a main component of the Mediterranean Diet, to lower cholesterol. According to www.healingdaily.com, olive oil controls bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol levels. "Extra-virgin" and "virgin" olive oils are best choices.

3. Eat fish or shellfish at least twice a week, according to the Mediterranean Diet. Eating fatty fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon, according to www.mayoclinic.com, lowers cholesterol because of the Omega-3 fatty acids they contain.

4. Get plenty of exercise, as directed by the Mediterranean Diet. According to http://health.msn.com, exercise raises the good cholesterol level and lowers the bad cholesterol level.

5. Choose whole grains over refined grains. Whole grains "substantially lower total cholesterol" according to www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/health-gains-from-whole-grains/index.html. The diet discourages eating butter and margarines that contain saturated or trans fats.

References

• Mediterranean diet

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