Cholesterol travels throughout your body in transportation mechanisms called lipoproteins, which are classified based on their ratio of cholesterol to protein. Low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, contain a high percentage of cholesterol and a small amount of protein. High amounts of LDL cholesterol significantly increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. The proper diet helps lower your LDL cholesterol to healthy ranges and reduces your risk of complications.
Bad Fats
Saturated fats and trans fats in your diet cause an increase in your LDL cholesterol levels. The main sources of saturated fat in the diet include red meats and full-fat dairy products. Choosing lean meats, such as skinless chicken and fish, and low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt, can help reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet. You should aim to limit your saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of your daily calories. Trans fats are worse for your cholesterol levels than saturated fats. The most significant sources of trans fats in the diet include processed foods, commercially baked foods, French fries, fried foods and margarine. Ideally, you should eliminate trans fat from your diet completely. If this is not possible, do not consume more than 2 g of trans fat per day.
Cholesterol
Dietary cholesterol also directly increases the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood. Because your liver is able to synthesize cholesterol, it is not necessary that you consume any in your diet. The American Heart Association recommends that you keep your dietary intake of cholesterol below 300 mg per day. The lower you can get your intake, the better. The richest sources of dietary cholesterol include egg yolks, red meat and organ meats such as liver.
Fiber
Increasing your intake of fiber can help lower your LDL cholesterol levels. A specific type of fiber, called soluble fiber, turns into a gel-like material in your digestive tract and binds to bile acids. This prevents bile acids from being reabsorbed in the small intestine, which triggers your liver to make more bile acids by using cholesterol from your bloodstream. The best dietary sources of soluble fiber include oats, barley, legumes, citrus fruits, dried fruits, Brussels sprouts and carrots.
Olive Oil
Olive oil contains a good type of fat called polyunsaturated fat, which can help lower your LDL cholesterol levels, as well as increase your HDL cholesterol, which helps protect against heart disease. The FDA recommends replacing saturated fats and trans fat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil per day. The most beneficial type of olive oil is extra-virgin olive oil, which undergoes less processing.
