Ninety-nine million Americans have high cholesterol. If your cholesterol is greater than 240 mg/dL, you have more than twice the risk of heart disease as someone whose levels are less than 200 mg/dL, according to the American Heart Association. This means that you are more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke. Reduce your risk of heart disease with a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
Fat
The AHA recognizes saturated fat as the main cause of high cholesterol. Limit full-fat dairy products, fatty meat, poultry skin, bacon and sausage. Restrict your intake of coconut oil, coconut butter, palm oil and cocoa butter. Trans fats, or partially hydrogenated oils, raise your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol. Keep your daily intake of these fats to less than 1 to 2g. Instead, consume heart-healthy unsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, fish and plant oils.
Cholesterol
Since your body manufactures enough cholesterol for daily functions, you don't need to get it from food, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Limit your daily cholesterol intake to less than 300mg by eating less fatty meat, egg yolks, whole milk and cheese. Restricting saturated and trans fats reduces the negative effect of dietary cholesterol on your LDL levels.
Fiber
Cover 1/2 your plate fruits and vegetables. This will make it easier to reach the daily 25 to 30g of fiber recommended by the AHA. Fiber, especially the soluble type found in oats, beans, citrus fruits and brown rice, has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels. Overweight adults who ate a total of 3 cups of oat cereal daily for 12 weeks saw a significant drop in LDL, or bad cholesterol, compared to controls, says a 2010 article in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association."
Other Considerations
Plant sterols and stanols are compounds that may lower LDL cholesterol. The American Dietetic Association suggests that you consume at least 2g daily of these plant-derived ingredients in the form of fortified margarine and orange juice, whole grains, nuts and legumes. Replace some of the animal protein in your diet with soy protein to improve heart health. Try soy milk on your cereal, tofu in stir fry or soybeans on your salad to get closer to the daily 25g soy protein recommended by the ADA.
References
- American Heart Association: High Blood Cholesterol and Other Lipids: Statistics
- American Heart Association: What Your Cholesterol Levels Mean
- American Heart Association: Make Healthy Food Choices
- United States Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association"; Whole Grain Ready-to-Eat Oat Cereal...Reduces Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Adults with Overweight and Obesity than a Diet Program Including Low-Fiber Control Foods; K. Maki, et al; February 2010
- American Dietetic Association: Heart-Healthy Eating: Sterol and Stanol Tips
