How to lower blood sugar and elevated cholesterol

What Can I Eat to Keep My Blood Sugar and Cholesterol Low?

Cutting out refined carbs and eating whole foods can help you lower these markers at the same time.

Many people who have high blood sugar or pre-diabetes have high cholesterol level. The good news are that both can be reversed by healthy eating and what really matters is the overall diet quality.

We have three major macronutrients: carbs, protein and fat.

Each one has special effect on blood sugar or blood cholesterol. For example refined sugar like rice, bread and pasta raise blood sugar more than protein and fat can do. When it comes to high cholesterol level, high fat containing food affect cholesterol more than protein and carbs.

So controlling both blood sugar and cholesterol is really important yet it is not difficult as you are focusing on nutrient-dense food, high fiber food and more vegetables and beans.

In addition increasing intake of lean protein while decreasing refined sugar has been shown to lower blood sugar, bad cholesterol or LDL while increasing HDL or the good cholesterol.

Here are a few tips to effectively reduce high blood sugar and cholesterol levels:

· Eat healthy fats. You need to cut back on saturated and unhealthy fat while having adequate amount of healthy fat that include avocado, nuts, seed and olive oil to increase HDL and decrease LDL.

· Reduce your intake of added sugars. Refined sugar in bread, pasta, rice, carbonated, energy drinks and sodas increase blood sugar so it is better to cut them.

· Consume more vegetables. High intake of vegetables has been linked with low cholesterol and blood sugar level. Try adding veggies like spinach, artichokes, bell peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower to your meals and snacks.

· Eat mostly whole, nutritious foods. Make you own food at home and focus on nutrient-rich food that support metabolic health — such as vegetables, beans, fruits, and healthy sources of protein and fat, including fish, nuts, seeds, and olive oil to ower cholesterol and blood sugar level.

Other healthy ways to reduce both blood sugar and cholesterol levels include increasing physical acitivity and losing excess body fat .

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/blood-sugar-and-cholesterol-friendly-foods

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/3-diet-changes-to-help-lower-cholesterol-levels