I'm a nutritionist and this is what I eat to lower cholesterol

Cholesterol is a word that instils an image of clogged arteries and heart attacks. The fact is the body needs a certain amount of it for vital roles, such as manufacturing hormones, making vitamin D, and insulating nerve endings. While a small amount is essential for health, problems arise when there’s too much of the wrong kind of cholesterol circulating in your blood.

There are two main players to know:

• LDL cholesterol, often called ‘bad’ cholesterol (think L for ‘lousy’), which can build up in the walls of your arteries and form plaques that restrict blood flow, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. It's a slow, silent process, which is exactly what makes it dangerous.
• HDL cholesterol, the ‘good’ type, is a protective type of cholesterol which carries excess cholesterol away from the arteries back to the liver to be processed and removed from the bloodstream.

What causes high cholesterol?

Diet is a powerful lever here, but it's not as simple as high saturated fat = high cholesterol. Genetics play a role in how much cholesterol your liver produces. Some people eat a low fat, vegetarian diet, and still have elevated levels. Stress, physical activity, smoking, and certain medications can influence levels too. What you eat typically accounts for around 20–30% of your total cholesterol levels. That's not nothing, but it means dietary changes work best as part of a broader lifestyle approach, and anyone with significantly elevated cholesterol should be working with their GP rather than relying on food alone.

That said, the evidence for including certain foods is impressive. Here's what I prioritise in my own diet, and some tips for how to incorporate them too.

5 foods to help lower your cholesterol level

Oats

Why I prioritise them: Oats are rich in a specific type of soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which is probably the most well-evidenced single dietary intervention for lowering LDL cholesterol. The research behind it is robust enough that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved the health claim.

How it works: Beta-glucan forms a thick, gel like substance in your digestive tract that binds to cholesterol and carries it out of the body before they can be reabsorbed. Studies consistently show that consuming around 3g of beta-glucan per day, the equivalent of roughly two decent bowls of porridge, can reduce LDL by 5–10%.

How I eat them: I use oats to make porridge, overnight oats, or blend them into flour for baking (especially pancakes). I like to have porridge with a handful of blueberries and a teaspoon of ground flaxseed most mornings or blitzed into a smoothie if I'm short on time. Check out our healthy oats recipes for more inspiration.

Oily fish

Why I prioritise it: Oily fish is the richest dietary source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA. These don't lower LDL directly, but they significantly reduce triglycerides, another type of fat that travels in the blood, contributing to cardiovascular risk. Oily fish can also help raise levels of the 'good' HDL cholesterol.

How it works: EPA and DHA reduce the liver's production of VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein), the precursor to LDL, while also reducing inflammation in the arterial walls. A 2019 meta-analysis of over 13,000 participants found that omega-3 supplementation reduced cardiovascular events in people with elevated triglycerides. Getting it from whole fish rather than a supplement also brings additional protein and micronutrients.

How I eat it: Instead of relying on supplements (and the added challenge of remembering to take them!) I aim to eat at least two portions of oily fish a week – think salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout and herring. Sardines on toast is a quick and fairly economical lunch or I like baked salmon with roasted vegetables for dinner. Another top tip is to blend a few anchovies into pasta sauces as a way to get that omega 3 hit in a hurry.

Nuts

Why I prioritise them: Nuts are rich in unsaturated fats, plant sterols, and fibre, all of which have cholesterol lowering effects. They're also genuinely satisfying, which makes them an easy swap for ultra processed snacks.

How it works: The unsaturated fats in nuts replace saturated fat in the diet, which reduces LDL production in the liver. Walnuts also contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant-based omega-3. Multiple clinical trials have shown that eating a small handful of nuts daily (around 30g) can reduce LDL by 5% or more, with walnuts and almonds showing particularly good results.

How I eat them: I have a small handful as a snack, or sprinkled over porridge for breakfast. I’m also a big fan of nut butter and choose almond or peanut butter slathered on toast as a quick breakfast option.

Avocado

Why I prioritise it: Avocado is one of the few whole foods that is predominantly monounsaturated fat, the same heart-healthy fat found in olive oil. It's also a good source of plant sterols and soluble fibre, giving it multiple mechanisms for improving cholesterol profiles.

How it works: Monounsaturated fat helps lower LDL while maintaining or raising HDL. Plant sterols structurally resemble cholesterol and compete with it for absorption in the gut, effectively blocking some LDL from taking the same spot. Research found that eating one avocado a day significantly reduced LDL levels compared to a moderate-fat diet without avocado.

How I eat it: I add avocado as a side to plenty of meals (if I’m lucky and the avocado is ripe) or mashed on toast with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of paprika. It’s nice to blend them into a smoothie for that creamy rich texture too. Discover all our easy avocado recipes for more ideas.

Legumes

Why I prioritise them: Legumes (e.g. beans, lentils, chickpeas) are a nutritional powerhouse for lowering cholesterol: high in soluble fibre, low in saturated fat, and rich in plant protein. They're also inexpensive, versatile, and genuinely filling.

How it works: Like oats, legumes are rich in soluble fibre that forms a gel in the digestive tract and binds to cholesterol carrying bile acids. Research found that eating one portion of legumes per day was associated with a 5% reduction in LDL cholesterol.

How I eat them: Red lentil soup or a warming dhal is a nourishing, quick meal. Chickpeas roasted with spices make a surprisingly tasty snack. White beans blitzed into pasta sauce add protein and fibre (without anyone noticing) and lentils added to a Bolognese reduces meat content without sacrificing flavour or texture.

Dark leafy greens

Why I prioritise them: Leafy greens (such as kale, spinach, cavolo nero and Swiss chard) are among the richest dietary sources of plant sterols. Plus, they contain lutein, a specific antioxidant that has been linked to reduced plaque formation. They're also high in magnesium, which supports blood pressure and cardiovascular health more broadly.

How it works: Lutein appears to reduce the oxidation of LDL particles, which is significant because it's oxidised LDL – not LDL in its native form – that is most damaging to arterial walls. Including these vegetables regularly won't transform your cholesterol levels on their own but are a sensible addition if your cholesterol is a concern.

How I eat them: I buy bags of frozen chopped spinach and regularly add it to sauces and stews. Kale massaged with lemon and olive oil can then be baked in the oven to make kale crisps or sauté generous handfuls of cavolo nero with garlic and butter for a tasty but simple side dish.

A note on what to reduce

No list of cholesterol-lowering foods would be complete without acknowledging that what you take out of your diet matters at least as much as what you add. Saturated fat found in fatty and processed meat, full-fat dairy, butter, coconut oil, and ultra-processed foods contribute to raised LDL more than almost any dietary factor. Trans fats, though less common now that regulations have tightened, are still worth watching for in processed baked goods and takeaways.

This doesn't mean you can never eat a steak or enjoy cheese. The evidence points consistently to overall dietary patterns rather than individual foods. A diet built around vegetables, whole grains, oily fish, legumes, and unsaturated fats, with processed food as an occasional feature rather than a daily one, is a diet that supports healthy cholesterol levels over time.

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