Monitoring your diet may be one of the most important aspects of staying healthy. Consuming certain foods may increase bodily inflammation which over time can increase your cholesterol levels. Conversely, some foods can help to reduce inflammation preventing or reducing cholesterol levels. At the Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island, we know how important nutrition is to your long-term health. For more information on this topic, please consult with our lead cardiologist, Dr. Regina Druz.

Problems With High Cholesterol

The first step in changing your diet should be understanding the damage having high cholesterol can cause. If you’re constantly eating processed foods or items with a high saturated fat content, your body may persistently be dealing with inflammation. Our team has seen the damage caused by this scenario first hand. When you let your cholesterol levels get out of control, you potentially subject yourself to the following ailments: 

  • Clogged arteries
  • Blood flow restriction
  • Chest pain
  • Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes

Foods To Focus On

Lowering your cholesterol does not need to be a difficult process, filled with expensive medications. Often, making a few simple changes to your diet is all that is needed to improve your condition. Doing so is easy, and may even increase your lifespan and have other benefits. Examples of foods you should be incorporating into your diet may include:

  • Legumes
  • Avocados
  • Almonds
  • Walnuts
  • Whole Grains
  • Berries
  • Eggplants
  • Carrots

A plant-based diet is typically considered the best diet for reducing inflammation.

Foods To Avoid

Conversely, a diet filled with processed foods can be correlated to high inflammation and cholesterol problems. While this may be difficult to do at first, it’s imperative to improve your health. Foods that are high in cholesterol that should be avoided include:

  • Fried foods
  • Fast food
  • Processed meats
  • Sugary snacks

Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island

At the Integrative Cardiology Center of Long Island, we understand how important diet is to one’s health. Our Fit in your GENES program for heart health will show what foods you should be eating for effective holistic care. If you’d like to get a better understanding of this, please do not hesitate to contact our team today!