Your cholesterol levels measure different types of fat in your bloodstream. Two types of fat -- LDL, or low density lipoprotein, and triglycerides -- can build up in your arteries and make you susceptible to heart disease. One type of fat -- HDL, or high density lipoprotein -- helps to eliminate LDL cholesterol and triglycerides from your body. The food you eat, how much you weigh and how much you exercise affect your total cholesterol levels.
Dietary Cholesterol
Although your body needs some fat to function properly, it doesn't need extra cholesterol from your diet. So you could eliminate all cholesterol from your diet and remain healthy. This would mean giving up all animal products, including beef, poultry, cheese, eggs, milk and yogurt. A vegan diet, for instance, eliminates cholesterol. But you can keep some cholesterol in your diet and still protect yourself from heart disease. MayoClinic.com recommends you limit your consumption of daily cholesterol to 300 mg if you face normal risks for heart disease and 200 mg if you face higher risks. High-cholesterol foods include eggs, 212 mg per egg; shrimp, 194 mg per 3.5-oz portion, and beef liver, 389 mg per 3.5-oz. serving.
Limit Overall Fat Consumption
If you want to reduce your overall cholesterol levels, MayoClinic.com recommends that you limit your consumption of all fat, not just foods that contain cholesterol. You should also keep consumption of saturated fat, found in animal products and tropical oils, to about 20 g per day -- or 10 percent of your daily calories. Aim to keep trans fat, found in shortening and margarine and shortening to 2 g per day -- or 1 percent of your daily calories. Limit your total fat consumed each day to 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories, about 44 to 78 g. Cholesterol and saturated fats appear in many of the same foods, so you can reduce both by choosing lean cuts of meat and low-fat dairy, and by obtaining some of your protein from vegetable sources such as kidney beans and soybeans.
Fats to Lower Cholesterol
Some fats can help to lower your cholesterol. Foods containing omega 3 fatty acids, for instance, can help to reduce your blood pressure and your risk of blood clots, according to MayoClinic.com. You can obtain omega 3 fatty acids in fish such as halibut, sardines, albacore tuna and lake trout. The oil in nuts and seeds can also lower your cholesterol, as can olive oil. MayoClinic.com recommends that you eat fish two to three times a week, eat a handful of nuts or seeds daily and include 2 tbsp. of olive oil in your daily diet.
Cooking Oils
Heart-healthy, low-cholesterol foods can turn into artery-clogging demons if you cook them in unhealthy oils. All fat contains about the same amount of calories -- 120 calories per tbsp. -- but some cooking fats are kinder than others to your cholesterol levels. Butter, containing saturated fat and cholesterol, can raise your LDL cholesterol. Margarine, made from vegetables, contains no cholesterol but the hydrogenation process used to turn the vegetable oils into solid sticks of margarine creates trans-fat. Trans-fat can elevate your triglyceride levels. Coconut, palm and palm kernel oil contain no cholesterol but are high in saturated fat. Healthier oils include olive oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sesame oil and sunflower oil.
