Doctors agree that high cholesterol levels often contribute to coronary heart disease over time. There are plenty of prescription drugs available designed to help you lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and raise your "good" (HDL) levels. But for many people, changing poor eating habits will dramatically affect cholesterol levels to help bring them into a healthy range. Total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL (miligrams per deciliter) for adults.
Foods to Add to Your Diet
There are many foods that can help you get your cholesterol in check. Overall, you should aim for foods that lower your fat and sodium intake and raise your consumption of soluble fiber and complex carbohydrates. If weight loss is your goal, reduce your caloric intake across the board to help you shed pounds while lowering your cholesterol.
Your liver already produces the cholesterol it needs. However, when we eat animal meat or byproducts (eggs and milk), we add the animal cholesterol (also called dietary cholesterol) to our bodies. So cutting out animal products is an excellent way to immediately reduce your cholesterol intake. Eating egg whites instead of whole eggs will cut out some of the dietary cholesterol. Replacing meat two to three times a week also contributes greatly to your efforts, as does replacing whole milk with skim or soy milk. Add fish into your diet as a replacement for meat.
Good fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help lower your LDL and raise your HDL. Soluble fiber found in oats, nuts and vegetables is also a great advocate for lowering your cholesterol.
Foods to Avoid
Fatty foods are the most dangerous when it comes to adding to your bad cholesterol count. Always steer clear of saturated fat (e.g., palm oil), trans fat and dietary cholesterol (e.g., egg yolks) and trans fatty acids. Excessive carbohydrates (white flour and white sugar) and alcohol consumption can also contribute to lowering your HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and raising your triglycerides, so consume these in moderation or not at all.
Eat Processed Foods
Eating natural, unprocessed foods like fruits and vegetables is ideal when trying to lower your cholesterol. However, if you must eat foods that have been chemically altered, check the label for certain terms like "hydrogenated." This means that natural substances have been converted to saturated fat. Hydrogenated oils are typically found in snack foods, baked goods and margarine.
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