High cholesterol can put you at an increased risk for numerous medical conditions, including heart attack and stroke. Before your doctor recommends medicine to control your blood cholesterol, he'll ask that you make some dietary changes. Eating certain foods and cutting out others can keep your numbers within a healthy range. Besides changing the way you eat, exercising and avoiding tobacco can help lower cholesterol.
Step 1
Reduce the amount of fat that you eat. The American Heart Association recommends that only 25 to 35 percent of your daily caloric intake should come from fat. Your trans fat should be less than 1 percent and saturated fat less than 7 percent as well. Avoid fried foods, fast food entrees, candies, cakes and cookies. Your fat should come from healthy sources such as olive oil, walnuts and almonds.
Step 2
Eat a fiber rich diet. Soluble fiber has the ability to lower your LDL cholesterol, the bad type of blood cholesterol. Good fiber sources include oatmeal, beans, prunes, apples and pears.
Step 3
Aim to have at least two servings of fish per week to lower bad cholesterol. Fish can lower cholesterol due to the presence of omega-3 fatty acids. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, trout, tuna, herring and sardines.
Step 4
Look for fortified food items. Bread spreads, orange juices and some forms of yogurt are fortified with plant sterols or stanols. According to the MayoClinic, these substances have the ability to block cholesterol absorption.
Step 5
Monitor how much cholesterol you consume each day. According to the American Heart Association, you should eat less than 300 mg per day. Whole eggs, lobster, shrimp, crab, liver and whole milk are all high in cholesterol.
