High cholesterol affects more than 102 million adults in the United States. About 35 million Americans had levels high enough to put them at serious risk for developing heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. A nutritious diet and exercise, two things that fight high cholesterol, reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease.
LDL and HDL
You can control different components of blood cholesterol by eating certain foods. Eating foods high in fat and dietary cholesterol is the main reason for elevated cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Your liver manufactures some cholesterol and you gain more cholesterol through the food you eat. Cholesterol is a lipid, which is a fat-like substance insoluble in blood. The body overcomes this by packaging cholesterol onto lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, ferries cholesterol from your gut to the cells throughout your body. High-fat foods cause LDL levels to rise. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, scrapes cholesterol deposits from arterial walls and delivers excess cholesterol to the liver, where it is processed and eliminated from the body. Engaging in a healthy diet and lifestyle can increase this beneficial HDL to fight high cholesterol.
Reduce Fat
A healthy diet to fight high cholesterol focuses on reducing fats and dietary cholesterol while increasing vegetables, fruits, whole grains and sources of fiber. You should get 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories from fat. Reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet so that it accounts for no more than 7 percent of your daily caloric intake. Saturated fat raises LDL more than anything else in your diet, according to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute. Avoid trans fats, found in commercially baked snack cakes and crackers, as much as possible so that you get less than 1 percent of your calories from trans fats.
Raise HDL
Many foods actually raise HDL or improve its ability to decrease the effects of heart disease, such as acting as an anti-inflammatory. Increase the amount of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils. Olive and canola oils improve HDL's anti-inflammatory properties. Fish, such as mackerel and salmon, contain omega-3 fatty acids which are beneficial to HDL. Omega-3 is available in non-prescription supplements for those who don't like fish. Ground flax seed also contains small amounts of omega-3.
Fiber
Increase your soluble fiber intake. Soluble fiber, like that found in oatmeal and citrus fruits, binds to dietary cholesterol before the body has a chance to absorb it, then carries this cholesterol out of the body with the next bowel movement.
Exercise
Exercise fights exercise in several ways. Exercise for a half an hour on five days a week for two months to increase your HDL by 5 percent. Exercise will also lead to weight loss. Increase HDL one point for every six pounds you lose. Regular physical activity will encourage smokers to stop, which improves HDL by up to 10 percent.
