When it comes to lowering your cholesterol, what you don't eat is as important as what you do eat. To help you lower your numbers, it's important that you consume more fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. HealthCastle also recommends eating more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are found in olive oil, nuts and avocados. Try reducing your overall meat intake and introduce more vegetarian meals into your diet.
High-Fat Proteins
Cholesterol can be found in all animal products. Lean proteins, however, contain less cholesterol and should be your main choice. As much as possible, avoid high-fat dairy products such as whole milk and full-fat cheese. Don't eat red meat more than once a week or scrap it completely. Instead, choose fish, turkey and chicken. Other high-fat proteins to avoid or reduce significantly include organ meats such as liver, shrimp and other shellfish, duck meat and cream cheese.
Trans Fats
Trans fats are fats found in highly processed foods such as butter, baked sweets and chips. According to eMedTV, trans fats not only increase LDL, or "bad," cholesterol, but they also lower HDL, or "good," cholesterol, making them a particularly poor choice. To find hydrogenated fats in products you buy, read labels and look for words like "partially hydrogenated oil."
Fast Food
Fast foods combine most of the banned foods in a single dish. According to Ask The Dietitian, you should keep your cholesterol consumption to no more than 200 mg per day. Burger King's Double Whopper hamburger contains 160 mg, while McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese contains 95 mg. While fish is low in cholesterol, many fast food dishes made with fish contain sauces or other add-ons that make them high in cholesterol. For example, McDonald's Filet-O-Fish contains 50 mg of cholesterol.
