Your diet can play a big role in controlling your cholesterol levels, helping prevent you from taking a cholesterol-lowering medication.You can lower your fat intake, but you must know what fat to reduce. Some foods absorb the cholesterol in your body, but you must know what these foods are. Then there are foods that block the absorption of cholesterol, but you must know what foods to eat.
Limit Saturated Fats
Your body produces the exact amount of saturated fat it needs, converting it into cholesterol. Consuming more increases your LDL, or bad, cholesterol, explains Harvard School of Public Health. Red meat, whole-fat dairy products, poultry with skin and seafood such as scallops, lobster and crab meat are high in saturated, and should be limited to 7 percent of your total daily calories. Make simple changes: choose skinless, white-meat poultry, opt for fresh water fish and consume non-fat dairy.
Consume Soluble Fiber
Foods high in soluble fiber bind to cholesterol in your digestive tract, eliminating it from your body. MayoClinic.com reports that eating 5 to 10 g of soluble fiber each day can decrease your LDL cholesterol. The best foods for this include oatmeal, whole grains, beans, apples, citrus fruits and eggplant.
Discover Plant Sterols and Stanols
Sterols and stanols are natural plant substances that increase your body's ability to absorb, or block, the cholesterol in the food you eat. It is common for manufacturers of certain products such as orange juice, yogurt, margarine and chocolate to fortify their products with these substances. Consuming 2 g per day can decrease your LDL by more than 10 percent, according to MayoClinic.com.
Eat Mono- and Polyunsaturated Fats
Unsaturated fats can decrease your cholesterol levels and stabilize your heart rhythms, reports the Harvard School of Health. There are two types of unsaturated fats: mono- and poly. Oils such as olive, peanut and canola, along with nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts and pecans, fall under the category of monounsaturated. Polyunsaturated are best known for the omega-3 fatty acids that belong to their group. Fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, halibut, cod and herring are high in omega-3s, making them a healthy alternative to red meat and poultry when trying to reduce your saturated fat intake. Harvard Health Publications recommends eating two to three servings each week to reap the cholesterol-lowering benefits.
Exercise
LDL is a lipoprotein that carries your cholesterol to the cells of your body. These lipoproteins are particles; some are large and others are small. The small particles pose a higher health risk because of their ability to squeeze into the lining of your blood vessels, nestling themselves against their walls. The more you exercise, the larger these particles become, decreasing their ability to enter and adhere to the lining of your blood vessels. This, in turn, reduces your risk of heart disease while lowering your cholesterol. Begin with 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, and work up to 45 minutes of vigorous exercise five days a week.
