Over time, high cholesterol can clog your arteries and lead to heart disease and other health problems. If you already have high cholesterol, a diet rich in animal products such as whole-fat dairy, eggs and red meat could be a contributing factor. A simple shift in diet to more grains, vegetables, fruits and healthy oils could help lower your cholesterol.
Vegetables and Fruits
Many vegetables and fruits are high in fiber, which can help lower your cholesterol by sweeping out cholesterol deposits and other toxins from your body. If you eat apples, strawberries, grapes and citrus fruits you will get a large dose of soluble fiber in the form of pectin. On the vegetable side, artichokes and avocados are also very high in fiber.
Nuts and Oats
Like fruits and vegetables, oats and nuts are high in fiber and can help you lower your cholesterol. You can get up to 2 g of soluble fiber daily from a bowl of oatmeal, and if you add fruit on top you are well on your way towards getting the 5 to 10 g of fiber recommended daily by the Mayo Clinic. Nuts including peanuts, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts are also high in fiber, but also high in calories. Although a handful of nuts can help you reduce your cholesterol by 5 percent, you should not eat more than 1 1/2 ounces of nuts per day, according to the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA.
Plant Sterols
Some consumer products now contain plant sterols, which are natural fibers that help block the absorption of cholesterol. According to Harvard Medical School, if you get 2 g of sterols per day you can lower your cholesterol by up to 10 percent. Foods that are commonly fortified with sterols include orange juice, yogurt drinks, margarine spreads and salad dressings.
Fatty Fish
To help lower cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends you eat at least 2 servings weekly of fatty fish such as salmon, lake trout, tuna, mackerel and halibut. These types of fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which can lower both your triglyceride level and your blood cholesterol. You can also replace higher-cholesterol proteins such as red meat in your diet with fish, which are a lower-cholesterol source of protein.
Olive Oil
Olive and other vegetable oils such as safflower oil are a good substitute for oils that are loaded with saturated fat and solid at room temperature. For example, you can use olive oil instead of butter to saute vegetables, or mixed with vinegar instead of creamy salad dressings. Olive oil is especially high in antioxidants that help protect your heart and lower your cholesterol. The FDA suggests you get 23 g of olive oil per day to help fight against cholesterol buildup.
