People with high cholesterol levels can often reduce their risk for heart failure with proper diet and nutrition. Cholesterol is a waxy steroid found in the blood. Untreated, high cholesterol levels can constrict blood vessels in the body, leading to heart disease. But not all cholesterol is bad. There are two types of cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, and high-density lipoproteins, or HDL. While high LDL levels can increase the chances of developing heart disease, HDL helps lower the risk of developing heart disease.
Heart-Healthy Diet
Researchers at the U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute developed the heart healthy diet. Although designed to help lower cholesterol levels and decrease the risk for heart disease, the heart healthy diet is not only for adults, but also children beginning at age 2. The heart healthy diets strictly limits daily sodium intake to 2,400mg per day. Cholesterol intake should be no more than 300mg per day. The heart healthy diet is sometimes referred to as the Step 1 or Step 2 diet.
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet
The Theraputic Lifestyle Changes diet is based on 2001 guidelines contained in the National Cholesterol Education Program's Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults, or ATP III. ATP III recommends reducing the amount of saturated fats to less than 7 percent of total daily calories consumed and reducing dietary cholesterol levels to less than 200mg per day. TLC also incorporates daily exercise as part of the diet plan. The American Heart Association endorses both the heart healthy diet and the TLC diet.
MayoClinic.com Top Foods
MayoClinic.com recommends that patients concerned with high cholesterol incorporate five powerful cholesterol-reducing foods into their daily diets. Nuts, such as walnuts, cashews or peanuts have high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids and can help maintain healthy blood vessels. Oatmeal and other foods high in soluble fiber can absorb excess cholesterol in the blood. MayoClinic.com advises using olive oil for its antioxidants and fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids to help reduce blood pressure. Orange juice, yogurt and other foods rich in stanols can limit cholesterol absorption. Stanols occur naturally in plants.
