Cholesterol, which is found throughout the body, helps to build cells and hormones. According to the Mayo Clinic, however, high cholesterol may cause fat deposits to accumulate in blood vessels. Over time, blood flow through the arteries is forcibly reduced by these deposits, raising the risk of heart attack or stroke due to too little oxygenated blood in the heart and brain. Eating heart-healthy foods each day can help to lower cholesterol. Here are some suggestions for a cholesterol-lowering diet.
Step 1
Eat high-fiber foods. These include oatmeal, oat bran cereals and (low-fat) muffins, whole-grain breads and flour, whole-wheat pasta and brown rice. Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber as well.
Step 2
Eliminate trans fats. Packaged foods in stores are required to include trans fats as part of the Nutritional Information shown on the wrapper or container. However, some restaurants load down their dishes with trans fats, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The restaurant link below (see Resources) includes more specific information about trans-fat hazards when eating out.
Step 3
Read the cholesterol number on the Nutritional Information label when you buy food. The Mayo Clinic suggests keeping one's daily consumption of cholesterol below 300 milligrams (200 mg for people with heart disease). A calculator can be used to keep track of total cholesterol for the day.
Step 4
Buy foods with monounsaturated fats rather than saturated fat and trans fat. Foods containing monounsaturated fats include almonds, walnuts, avocados and peanut butter. As for cooking oils, stick with canola, olive and peanut oils (according to the University of Iowa Hospitals, coconut oil and palm oil are "mostly saturated fat"). No more than 10 percent of one's daily calories should be ingested via saturated fats.
Step 5
Minimize high-cholesterol foods such as egg yolk, whole milk products (especially cheeses) and butter. Organ meats, such as liver and kidneys, also contain large amounts of cholesterol. It is easy after a little practice to get used to eating egg whites (or egg substitutes), lean meats and skim (or 1 percent) milk.
Step 6
Substitute fish for other types of meats. Cod, halibut and tuna are low in fat and cholesterol compared with meat and poultry (be careful, however, not to eat too much tuna as certain varieties contain high levels of mercury). The American Heart Association recommends baking, broiling, grilling or boiling fish and other seafood instead of breading and frying. The AHA further advocates "eating no more than six ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, fish or seafood a day" for a typical 2,000-calorie diet.
Step 7
Drink alcohol in moderation, specifically no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink a day for women. Several studies have shown cholesterol-lowering benefits from moderate alcohol consumption, but not beyond these limits. Prohibitions on alcohol, such as with pregnancy and certain medical conditions, should be observed.
Tips and Warnings
- The American Heart Association recommends broiling meats instead of pan-frying them. As a general rule, less than 30 percent of total calories each day should come from fat, according to the AHA.
- The Mayo Clinic states that some products labeled as "trans fat-free" are not quite what they appear, since foods with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving are permitted in the U.S. to be labeled "trans fat-free." Any food that lists partially hydrogenated oil as an ingredient does include trans fat.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
