Your body needs some cholesterol in order to function properly. Yet excessive blood cholesterol can endanger your cardiovascular health. The American Heart Association links excess LDL, or "bad cholesterol," with an increased heart attack and stroke risk. By contrast, it reports heart protective effects for HDL, or "good cholesterol." Ideally, your LDL and HDL cholesterol counts should be lower than 100 mg/dL and at least 60 mg/dL, respectively. A diet makeover can be a powerful weapon in your pursuit of healthy blood cholesterol levels.
Dietary Fiber
Your body primarily gets rid of cholesterol by incorporating it into bile acids, notes University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey biochemist Pamela Champe. However, it recycles approximately 95 percent of its daily bile acid production, only excreting 5 percent in the feces. Soluble fiber can enhance cholesterol excretion by binding to bile acids in your intestine, thus preventing them from returning to your bloodstream. The fiber found in rolled oats is particularly effective in that regard, according to Colorado State University. Other good sources include whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains and such legumes as beans, split peas and lentils.
Pectin
Pectin is a type of soluble fiber that can bind to blood cholesterol and enhance its elimination in the feces. Harvard Medical School notes that it specifically reduces LDL, or bad cholesterol. Structured like a complex carbohydrate, pectin occurs in all plants, albeit in varying amounts and composition. Citrus fruits are particularly rich in pectin. Other good sources include apples, grapes and strawberries.
Phytosterols
Phytosterols are natural compounds found in the membranes of plant cells. Nutritionists recognize two important classes of phytosterols: stanols and sterols. Because of their structural resemblance, phytosterols compete with cholesterol for absorption in your digestive tract. Cholesterol absorption from food is therefore hindered, leading to lower cholesterol levels in the blood. Although you may obtain stanols and sterols in the form of supplements, food manufacturers have also added them to number of products, including margarines, granola bars, orange juice and chocolate. Taking 2 g of phytosterols per day can lower your bad cholesterol by as much as 10 percent, according to Harvard Medical School.
Healthy Fats
Whenever possible, replace solid fats with vegetable oils when cooking. You may know olive oil as a star among healthy oils. However, you may also use canola, sunflower or safflower oil in place of butter, lard or shortening. Vegetable oils contain unsaturated fats, which help lower bad cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats are usually more desirable because, unlike polyunsaturated fats, they can lower LDL cholesterol while maintaining good HDL levels. Harvard Medical School also recommends eating fatty fish two to three times a week to obtain the LDL-lowering omega-3 fatty acids.
Unhealthy Fats
When it comes to blood cholesterol reduction, removing unhealthy fats from your diet is just as important as adding healthy ones. You should reduce your daily intake of saturated and trans fats, recommends Stanford University dietician Jane Borchers. Both types of fats are solid at room temperature and promote LDL formation. Typical sources of saturated fats include meats, dairy products, chocolate, palm oil and coconut oil. Most commercial baked goods contain the partially hydrogenated oils known as trans fats.
Considerations
To further enhance cholesterol reduction, consider combining the following lifestyle measures with your cholesterol re-absorbing foods: smoking cessation, loss of excess weight and regular aerobic exercise. Note also that heredity, diet and lifestyle all play a role in determining your cholesterol profile. You may therefore require medications to take your cholesterol levels beyond the reduction your dietary and lifestyle changes provide.
References
- Stanford University: How to Lower Your LDL Cholesterol Ch
- Colorado State University: Dietary Fiber
- Harvard Medical School: 11 Foods that Lower Cholesterol
- American Heart Association: Cholesterol Levels
- "Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews of Biochemistry;" Pamela Champe, Ph.D., et al.; 2005
