I Slashed My Cholesterol By Living Like a Spaniard

These 10 lifestyle tips I picked up in Spain have helped me drop my total cholesterol by 40 points

Aileen Weintrab,

AARP

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Published April 23, 2025

After Aileen Weintraub returned from Spain, she was inspired to avoid ultraprocessed food, cook with olive oil and split big meals with friends.

Ania Siniuk

Burned out after a stressful year and desperate for a lifestyle overhaul, I booked a plane ticket to Spain.

When I arrived in Seville, my first stop was a freiduría, or “fry shop” — a restaurant where virtually the only items on the menu are fried seafood. I usually avoided fried foods because I have high cholesterol, but on this trip I decided I would eat whatever I wanted … within reason. I was there, after all, to learn how to enjoy life again.

In the following weeks, I lived on a diet of manchego cheese, mixed nuts, olives, fish — both fried and grilled — and farm-fresh vegetables purchased from the local market. I also indulged in the occasional fried churros, chocolate desserts and rich, creamy ice cream.

The author in a cooking class making paella.

Aileen Weintraub

By the time I headed back to New York, I had gained five pounds and my pants barely buttoned. I braced myself for my upcoming doctor visit: My physician had already been warning me that he might need to up my cholesterol meds, and I was sure the consequences of my carefree overeating would show up in my bloodwork. But when my tests came back, my cholesterol levels had dropped almost 40 points! Given all the food — and all the desserts! — how was this possible?

I reached out to Michelle Routhenstein, a New York City-based registered dietician specializing in heart disease, to find out. Routhenstein explained that even though I ate fried foods and indulged in treats, they were likely cooked in heart-healthy olive oil, a Spanish staple. She also said that while I had my fair share of cheese, I still cut my saturated fat by unintentionally eliminating butter and eggs from my morning routine. My Spanish breakfast consisted of a slice of bread with tomato paste, cheese or avocado.

And while the foods I was eating definitely influenced my cholesterol levels, there were other factors at play, too. “You were probably walking more, your stress levels were lower, and maybe you had more social connection,” Routhenstein said. These are all factors that influence heart health.

This was all great … if you’re on vacation in Spain. But how could I hold on to the heart-healthy changes now that I was back at work in the U.S.? Here are 10 lessons I learned on my European vacation, and how I turned them into practical, everyday tricks.

1. I skip the ultra-processed food

One of the main contributors to high cholesterol is ultra-processed food, according to Stanford University Senior Policy Advisor Kavita Patel, M.D. Since the EU bans many ultra-processed foods that are available in the United States, I significantly cut down on them without realizing it. I was no longer eating additives, sugar, excessive salt, emulsifiers or artificial flavors. “The universal theme with all ultra-processed foods is that they’re adding something that increases the risk of heart disease, obesity and cholesterol,” says Patel.

food in two large frying pans on a stove

An inspiring dish from the author's travels in Spain.

Aileen Weintraub

If I buy food in a box or bag, I read the ingredients. If there are more than five, or if an ingredient sounds like something made in a lab, it goes back on the shelf. I opt for raw, hard cheese, which is less processed, richer and more satisfying than pre-shredded or packaged cheese, so I eat less of it. I also keep olives in the house and snack on them instead of chips.

2. I eat more cholesterol blockers

“Some foods, like avocado or flax seeds, actually compete with the absorption of cholesterol,” says Jeffrey Berger, M.D., director of the Center of Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone. I now eat avocado almost every day to help reduce the cholesterol my body absorbs from food.

3. I only cook with olive oil

“Vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, canola and soybean have been refined and deodorized to take out the impurities and give them a long shelf life,” says Patel. The high-heat processed oils, like corn oil, are the most dangerous because the process can create harmful chemicals, some of which have been linked to cancer in animal studies.

4. I customize my restaurant orders

I eat low on the food chain, skip the butter when dining out, and order heart-healthy sides like broccoli or a baked potato. Salads and fish are my staples, and I always ditch the dressing and ask for olive oil and lemon instead.

5. I share my restaurant meals

If I order an appetizer, it’s for the table — or I skip it altogether, because I want to save room for the main dish. “We need to be more in tune with our hunger and satiety scale so we can eat to our metabolic load,” says Routhenstein.

I also ask my dining companions if one of them would like to share an entrée. “All you have to do is travel to another country to see the differences in portions, in additives and salt,” says Patel, further explaining that one of the main culprits for high cholesterol is portion sizes in restaurants. By asking my dining companions to share, I cut my portion size in half — not to mention my bill.

6. I enjoy wine, but only with dinner

While alcohol is a known carcinogen, which is reason enough to cut it out, I’m not ready to go cold turkey. But I am willing to make changes. “The way we drink it matters. Consuming it with a meal does help mitigate some of those negative effects,” says Routhenstein. I used to enjoy a glass of wine while cooking, but now I limit it to one or two with my meal.

7. I indulge in dessert

After dinner, I usually enjoy a small treat. In Spain, the desserts I chose were freshly made with high-quality ingredients, and so rich that just a few forkfuls satisfied my sweet tooth.

Now I go for quality, not quantity. Instead of indulging in high-carb, high-fat supermarket baked goods, I keep an organic dark chocolate bar in my cabinet and break off a small piece to have with tea in the evening. Dark chocolate is high in flavonoids, so it’s heart-healthy — an added bonus.

8. I incorporate walking into daily life

I walked for miles in Spain, and it turns out it’s really good for you. “Thirty minutes of walking outside actually translates to lowering heart disease risk, and it does it at the molecular level,” Patel says.

One of the biggest obstacles to walking is that I live in a rural area where I have to drive everywhere. “You need to break that habit of taking your car across the street or down the block to the store. Enjoy the outdoors on the weekends, go for walks, go for hikes, climb up a hill in the neighborhood,” says Berger.

With that in mind, I started meeting friends on the rail trail for an hourlong walk, and I’ve recommitted to hitting the gym a few times a week.

9. I’m keeping my stress levels low

Studies show that stress increases your cortisol levels, which can raise your cholesterol. According to Routhenstein, stress can also make it difficult to excrete cholesterol.

In Spain, I sent my stress levels plummeting by spending time outdoors and socializing in a country that puts enjoyment before the daily work grind. I’m now making more of an effort to get together with friends and schedule fun activities, which I stopped doing once the pandemic hit. After a night at the theater or chatting with a neighbor over tea, I feel calmer, happier and have a better outlook.

10. I’m committing to eight hours of sleep each night

“If you don’t sleep well, your body can’t tell if you’re hungry or full. You crave carbs because your body’s trying to keep your brain focused, and it needs fuel,” explains Routhenstein. When I can’t sleep (hello, menopause), I listen to meditation music on YouTube and practice deep-breathing exercises.

Real life isn’t an extended vacation, and sometimes I slip back into old habits. But “when you combine healthy eating with physical activity, that’s when you see robust changes,” says Berger. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.

AARP essays share a point of view in the author’s voice, drawn from expertise or experience, and do not necessarily reflect the views of AARP.

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Aileen Weintraub is a New York–based editor and journalist and the author of  Knocked Down: A High-Risk Memoir. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Glamour and InStyle.