A low-cholesterol diet protects your heart health, whether you are currently healthy or facing health problems. According to MayoClinic.com, the food you eat affects your cholesterol levels. The food nutrition labels on food packages provide a wealth of information to help you determine the nutritional value of food and how it will fit into a low-cholesterol diet. Knowing what to look for when choosing low-cholesterol foods can make your trip to the supermarket easier.
Step 1
Inspect the food you have in your pantry, paying special attention to the amount of cholesterol, trans fat and saturated fat. Write a list of the foods you already eat with low values in these three categories. Use the list as a guide for shopping, which will save you time on reading labels in the grocery store.
Step 2
Inspect the nutrition label to determine the amount of cholesterol per serving. Add items to your master list that have low cholesterol content.
Step 3
Read the nutritional label of new foods that you are considering to look for saturated and trans fats, which can increase your cholesterol levels. MayoClinic.com notes that some foods say "trans fat-free" on the front, but they are allowed to have up to 0.5 grams of trans fat in a serving.
Step 4
Inspect food packages to look for the American Heart Association's heart-check mark, which means the product meets the organization's criteria for fat and cholesterol content.
Step 5
Purchase a variety of fruits and vegetables each time you grocery shop, especially produce that is in season. Fruits and vegetables contain cholesterol-lowering fiber.
Step 6
Buy whole grain products when possible, which help your overall heart health, according to MayoClinic.com. Pasta, flour, bread, tortillas and cereals often come in whole grain varieties.
Step 7
Read dairy product labels to choose low-fat varieties. Choose non- or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream.
Step 8
Purchase lean meat, poultry and seafood to keep your cholesterol levels lower.
