It struck me recently that whenever cholesterol comes up in conversation, people often ask the same question:
“What should I stop eating?”
It’s an understandable question.
But it’s rarely the first one that comes into my mind.
Instead, I find myself wondering…
What else is going on?
Has this happened around the menopause?
Has someone become less active or gradually lost muscle over the years?
Could blood sugar regulation or insulin resistance be playing a part?
How are they sleeping? How stressed are they?
Could thyroid function or liver health be contributing?
The longer I’ve worked in nutrition, the less I’ve found myself looking for single causes.
Of course, food matters. But cholesterol doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s influenced by many different aspects of our health, which is why two people with very similar diets can have completely different cholesterol results.
One of the things I enjoy most about nutritional therapy is looking at the bigger picture.
Rather than seeing cholesterol as simply a number to lower, I see it as a clue. An invitation to be curious and to understand what might be happening beneath the surface.
Sometimes improving someone’s diet is an important part of the answer.
Sometimes it’s preserving muscle, improving sleep or addressing insulin resistance.
Sometimes it’s recognising the impact of hormonal changes or identifying an underlying thyroid issue.
More often than not, it’s a combination of factors rather than one single cause.
So, if you’ve recently been told your cholesterol is high, by all means think about your diet.
But don’t stop there.
Ask yourself what else might have changed over the last few years.
Has your lifestyle changed?
Has your sleep?
Your stress?
Your activity levels?
Has menopause played a role?
Because cholesterol is rarely the whole story.
Often, it’s simply where the story begins.