If you're looking to reduce your cholesterol levels in just 30 days, the solution could be right in your kitchen. As a dietitian, one of the most effective tools I recommend for reducing cholesterol quickly is fiber-rich foods—especially the kind found in oats, beans, and fruits.
This article contains practical tips on how to reduce cholesterol in 30 days.
You can make a real difference to your cholesterol levels in less than four weeks—and it doesn’t require a complete diet overhaul.
One of the most effective strategies? Adding fiber-packed foods that your heart will love. It's a small change that can have a big impact, and I’m here to show you exactly how to do it.
Jump to:
- Watch on YouTube - Cholesterol Lowering Tips
- How Does Fiber Lower Cholesterol?
- How Much Fiber Should You Eat?
- Get my FREE Fiber eBook!
- Different Types of Fiber
- The Best Type of Fiber For Lowering Cholesterol
- Let's Get Practical - How To Increase Soluble Fiber Intake
- Top Tips When Increasing Fiber
- Cholesterol Lowering FAQS
- Key Takeaways for How to Reduce Your Cholesterol in 30 Days
Watch on YouTube - Cholesterol Lowering Tips
If you would prefer to sit back, watch and listen to this information, you can view it all over on the YouTube channel!
Now, before we dive into the fiber goodness, I want to reiterate two important steps:
- Know your cholesterol levels.
Understanding your cholesterol numbers is key to knowing where you stand. If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to check in with your doctor and get a cholesterol test. Knowing your starting point will help you track progress over the next 30 days. - Limit foods that raise bad cholesterol. Before we focus on adding fiber, it's also crucial to cut back on foods that can raise your LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. That means reducing your intake of saturated fats (like those found in fatty cuts of meat, full-fat dairy, and processed foods) and trans fats (found in many packaged baked goods and fried foods). Less of these means more room for heart-healthy foods like fiber!
Luckily, I have full articles on these topics, so make sure to check them out after reading this article:
How Does Fiber Lower Cholesterol?
Fiber helps lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and can even reduce triglycerides. How? It essentially grabs onto cholesterol in your body, removing some of it through your stool and blocking it from being absorbed. This process not only lowers cholesterol but also improves your heart health, reducing your risk of heart disease.
Another BONUS of fiber is that it can help with weight management. We know that people who eat more fiber are slimmer than those who don’t. It's a dose-response relationship, which means the more fiber you eat, the slimmer you are likely to be. For some, if they have weight to lose, losing the extra weight can also help lower their cholesterol.
How Much Fiber Should You Eat?
How much fiber does an adult need?
Generally speaking, we need to eat about 25 grams per day (as per European Food Safety Authority recommendations). To be more specific, we need to eat 14 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories we consume each day. So, lots of people need more than 25 grams. For example, we need 35 grams per day if we need to fuel our body with 2500 calories worth of food in a day.
How much fiber does a child need?
In Ireland, the recommended amount for children is their age, plus 5g of fiber per day. So, a five-year-old child should be getting 10 g a day (5 years + 5g of fiber).
Are We Eating Enough Fiber?
The simple answer is NO, we are NOT EATING ENOUGH fiber
Fewer than 1 in 10 American adults meet their daily fiber recommendations, according to the American Society for Nutrition. And in Ireland, about 80% of people are fiber deficient!
Get my FREE Fiber eBook!
Different Types of Fiber
There are over 100 different types of fiber, but to keep things simple we generally categorize them into either soluble or insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber is the "softer" type of fiber that absorbs water in the gut. It’s found in:
- Oats
- Barley
- Pulses (such as beans, peas and lentils)
- Some fruits and vegetables.
On the other hand, insoluble fiber is the "roughage" found in plant foods that our body can’t break down. It helps add bulk to your stool. You can find it in:
- Whole grains (especially the bran part of the grain)
- Vegetables
- Seeds and the skin of fruits and nuts
While the terms 'soluble' and 'insoluble' are still commonly used, they’re starting to fall out of favor. That's because we now know that other factors, like whether soluble fiber forms a gel in the gut or if a fiber is fermentable (meaning it can be broken down by gut bacteria), are also important. But for simplicity's sake, this way of categorizing fiber still works well.
The Best Type of Fiber For Lowering Cholesterol
Soluble fiber has really strong cholesterol-lowering effects. So it's your BFF if you have high cholesterol.
How does soluble fiber lower cholesterol?
Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a "thick gel" in the stomach, absorbing and pulling in water as it moves through your digestive tract. Think about oats, Weetabix, or chia seeds left on the kitchen counter. After 30 minutes, they soak up all the liquid and turn into a solid, pudding-like consistency.
So, how does this gel-like substance help lower cholesterol?
Well, it acts like a magnet or a mop. As it moves through your small and large intestines, it grabs onto cholesterol and sweeps it all the way through your digestive system, eventually flushing it out in your stool. Basically, you poo out the extra cholesterol!
Oats and barley are especially great at this because they contain a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which has a strong gel-forming effect. This is why I have listed oats and barley as one of my top four cholesterol lowering foods! You can even see this gel form on top of your oats if you leave them sitting for long enough!
But it gets even better. This gel also grabs and removes bile in your digestive tract.
Here’s where the science comes in: to make bile, your body uses cholesterol as one of the ingredients. So, when the gel removes bile, your body has to make more bile to replace what was lost. To do this, it uses cholesterol from your bloodstream, which lowers your cholesterol levels.
And finally, soluble fiber isn’t digested by your body. When it reaches your large intestine, it ferments, creating short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs are incredibly beneficial because they can help prevent your body from making new cholesterol.
So, to sum it up:
- Soluble fiber grabs onto cholesterol in your body, mops it up, and removes it in your stool.
- It removes bile, forcing your body to use up cholesterol from your bloodstream to make more bile.
- It creates SCFAs, which help prevent your body from making new cholesterol.
Studies show that eating 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber per day can reduce cholesterol by 5 to 10%—and that’s a significant reduction!
Let's Get Practical - How To Increase Soluble Fiber Intake
No need to stress about counting every single gram of fiber you eat—if you make these small tweaks you will easily hit your fiber needs.
- Make beans, peas, and pulses your new go-to foods. They’re absolute fiber champions! Toss them into salads, soups, or even your favorite pasta dishes. Try to use these as the base of your main dishes at least 1-2 times a week.
- Aim for at least five servings of fruits and veggies daily. Bonus points if you go for more! Here’s what counts as a portion:
- 1 medium fruit (apple, orange, banana, or pear)
- 2 small fruits (like kiwis or plums)
- 1 cup of salad
- 1 cup (80g) of cooked veggies
- Switch to whole grains. Think whole-meal bread, pasta, rice, and cereals.
- Sprinkle in some nuts and seeds. Add them to salads, yogurt, oatmeal, or even on top of your toast for an extra fiber boost. These foods can be very versatile, you just need to get creative!
If you want to take it a step further, focus on beta-glucans—a special type of soluble fiber that actively helps lower cholesterol. Studies show that just 3g of beta-glucans daily can make a real difference.
You can hit the 3g beta-glucan target by including at least three of these servings in your day:
- A small bowl of porridge made with 30g of oats
- 13g (about 1-2 tablespoons) of oat bran—sprinkle it onto cereal, add it to casseroles, soups, or smoothies
- 250ml of oat drink (make sure it contains at least 1g of beta-glucan per serving)
- One oat breakfast biscuit
- A serving of oat breakfast cereal flakes (30-35g)
- Three oatcakes
- A recipe with at least 30g of oats per serving (low in saturated fat)
- 75g of cooked pearl barley—add it to stews, casseroles, salads, or swap it for rice to make risotto
- 40g of barley flakes
Top Tips When Increasing Fiber
Increase fiber gradually to give your gut time to adjust. If you jump in too quickly, you might experience some digestive discomfort. Start slow and build it up over time.
Drink plenty of fluids—fiber needs water to do its job properly. Without enough hydration, fiber can make you feel like a clogged kitchen sink. Keep sipping water throughout the day to keep everything flowing smoothly!
Cholesterol Lowering FAQS
While fiber supplements can help, it's always better to get your fiber from whole foods. Foods like oats, fruits, vegetables, and beans not only provide fiber but also offer additional nutrients that supplements can’t match. I have a full article on the best and worst supplements to lower cholesterol , I'd recommend reading this before purchasing any supplements.
Yes! Soluble fiber can help lower both LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. It helps reduce the absorption of fat in the digestive system, leading to lower triglyceride levels. Reducing your intake of added sugars and cutting back on alcohol can also help lower triglycerides.
Soluble fiber is the superstar when it comes to lowering cholesterol, but don’t ignore the benefits of insoluble fiber. Both types are important for overall gut health and digestion.
Key Takeaways for How to Reduce Your Cholesterol in 30 Days
- Aim for 25-30 grams of fiber per day: This is the sweet spot to help lower cholesterol and improve heart health.
- Focus on soluble fiber: Foods like oats, beans, barley, and fruits are rich in soluble fiber, which has the most powerful cholesterol-lowering effects.
- Stay hydrated: Fiber needs water to work, so make sure you’re drinking plenty throughout the day to keep things moving smoothly.
- Increase fiber gradually: To avoid digestive discomfort, increase your fiber intake slowly and give your gut time to adjust.
- Make small changes: Start with adding fiber-rich foods to one or two meals each day, and build from there. It’s not about perfection; it’s about consistency!
By making simple, sustainable changes to your diet, you can start seeing improvements in your cholesterol levels—and your overall health—within just 30 days!
This post was all about How To Reduce Cholesterol In 30 Days.
I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new! If so, I would love to connect. Please leave me a comment below or find me on YouTube and Instagram....I LOVE knowing there’s people out there reading my articles. 🙂 IG: @marialuceyrd_dietitian
Leave a Reply