High cholesterol levels have no symptoms. You usually discover it following a blood cholesterol test. High cholesterol levels increase your risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Regular check-ups at the doctor often include cholesterol tests, or you can ask a health care provider to test your cholesterol levels. Your doctor can advise you on dietary changes to improve your cholesterol levels or may also prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medication. Either way, a healthy diet can lower unhealthy cholesterol levels.
High Counts
High cholesterol usually means you have high counts of both total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol. Total cholesterol represents the amount of cholesterol circulating in your blood. LDL cholesterol damages the arteries by forming plaques that can block blood flow to the heart. Diet and weight management help lower your LDL and total cholesterol levels. You need high levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol, which cleans away excess cholesterol from the bloodstream. Regular exercise improves total, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels.
Saturated Fat
Saturated fats increase harmful LDL levels to increase total cholesterol. Meat, poultry, fish and dairy products contain saturated fat, but these foods also have necessary protein for energy and to build muscle tissue. Reduce your intake of saturated fat by selecting lean meats, poultry without skin and low-fat or nonfat dairy products. Many types of fish have lower saturated fat than meat or poultry, including salmon, cod, tuna, herring, halibut and mackerel. The TLC, or therapeutic lifestyle changes, diet recommends no more than 5 oz. a day of meat, poultry or fish, according to the National Cholesterol Education Program.
Fiber-Rich Foods
Fill your plate with more fruit, vegetables and whole grains to combat high cholesterol. These fiber-rich foods help lower harmful cholesterol and provide you with a feeling of fullness to avoid feelings of hunger for fatty foods. Cut back on meat, poultry and fish portions and add more fibrous foods in your meals. Enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables, canned or frozen fruit without added sugar or syrup, and canned or frozen vegetables without added creams. Avoid fried or breaded vegetables. Whole grains include whole-grain bread, pasta and cereal, whole-wheat flour, brown rice, oatmeal and oat bran.
Substitutions
Choose healthy unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats. Unsaturated fats help improve cholesterol levels. Replace butter and other fatty additives during food preparation with olive, canola and peanut oils, which are high in monounsaturated fat. Almonds and walnuts contain healthy polyunsaturated fat. Enjoy fresh fruit, vegetable sticks or nuts for snacks as often as you can to avoid high-fat snacks. The TLC diet allows healthy sweets now and then. They may include fat-free or low-fat cakes, cookies, fruit bars and crackers; gelatin desserts; graham crackers; frozen low-fat or nonfat yogurt; and angel food cake topped with fruit slices. Do not consume trans fats that are found in some processed foods and in fried foods in restaurants. Trans fats raise LDL and lowers protective HDL.
