Cholesterol is made by your liver and is used to make bile, steroid hormones and cell membranes. You also get cholesterol from your diet. If you have high blood cholesterol, you have an increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Changing your diet can help you lower your cholesterol levels.
Dietary Fat and Cholesterol
One of simplest ways to lower your blood levels of cholesterol is to limit the fat and cholesterol in your diet. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute recommends that you get less than 30 percent of your calories from fat. Limiting your saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of your caloric intake is also crucial. Eating fewer than 200 mg of cholesterol each day will also reduce your blood cholesterol levels. Avoiding or minimizing red meat, butter and full-fat dairy products will assist you in this respect.
Cooking for Lower Cholesterol
The way that you prepare food affects your cholesterol levels. Consuming turkey and chicken instead of high-fat poultry, such as duck and goose, will reduce your cholesterol intake. Removing the skin from poultry, particularly before cooking, decreases the amount of cholesterol in this meat. Choosing meats with little or no visible fat and selecting "choice" or "select" cuts instead of "prime" cuts limits your cholesterol and fat intake. Broiling, roasting and baking meat instead of pan-frying decrease the cholesterol in your diet as well.
Fiber
Getting more fiber in your diet will help you lower your cholesterol levels in two ways. First, eating more fiber will make it easier for you to reduce your caloric intake, helping you lose weight, says the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Decreasing the amount of calories you consume and losing extra weight reduce your cholesterol levels. In addition, soluble fiber, which can be found in fruits, whole grains and vegetables, interferes with cholesterol absorption, further lowering the concentration of cholesterol in your blood.
Other Foods
Plant sterols and stanols are substances that are chemically similar to cholesterol. These compounds interfere with cholesterol absorption by your intestines and are effective at reducing cholesterol levels, MayoClinic.com explains. Plant sterols and stanols can be found in vegetable oils, peanuts and almonds and are also added to some forms of margarine, orange juice and cereals. Omega-3 fatty acids, which may be found in flaxseed oil and fatty fish, further protect you from a heart attack or stroke.
