Natural whole foods work effectively in the diet to lower high cholesterol. Your doctor may advise you on dietary changes and prescribe cholesterol-lowering medication, if necessary. Reducing your fat intake helps to lower harmful cholesterol levels. Natural foods tend to be low in fat and contain nutrients that combat cholesterol and heart disease. Exercising 30 minutes a day on most days of the week, with your doctor's approval, burns calories and gets rid of the excess weight that contributes to high cholesterol.
Fruits, Vegetables and Grains
Fiber-rich foods include fruits, vegetables and grains, which are low in fat. Adding more fibrous foods to your meals fills you up so you have little desire for fatty foods. Keep plenty of fresh fruit and carrot or celery sticks on hand for healthy snacking. Buy frozen or canned fruit without added sugar or syrup. Choose frozen or canned vegetables without creamy sauces or other fatty additives. Eat steamed vegetables and avoid frying. Whole grains contain more nutrients and fiber than processed grains. Examples of whole grains include whole-grain or whole-wheat bread, pasta and cereal, brown rice, oatmeal and oat bran.
Meat Substitutes
Dry peas, beans and tofu make healthy replacements for meat and poultry, which are high in cholesterol-increasing saturated fat. These foods are high in protein, necessary for energy and muscle building. They are low in fat and have no cholesterol, as well as being rich in fiber to help lower blood cholesterol. Add 1/2 cup beans to vegetable dishes, pasta and soups. Marinate tofu in nonfat dressing.
Healthy Fats
Saturated fats, which come mainly from animal protein, raise harmful low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Excess LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream clogs the arteries and leads to heart disease. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats reduce LDL cholesterol and also increase levels of protective high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. HDL picks up excess cholesterol in the bloodstream and brings it to the liver, which treats it as waste. Olive, canola and peanut oils contain monounsaturated fats and you can use them place of butter or other saturated fats in cooking to help improve your cholesterol levels. Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and avocados also contain monounsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fat sources include walnuts, flaxseeds, and flaxseed, corn, soybean and sunflower oils.
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet, which echoes the diet of people living in that region, has become popular because it may reduce the risk of heart disease, MayoClinic.com notes. The foundation of the diet features fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, legumes and seeds. You don't eat much red meat on this diet, but you do eat fish regularly. Tuna, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and salmon contain omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat, which provides heart-healthy benefits.
References
- National Cholesterol Education Program; High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know; June 2005
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: TLC Diet -- Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good
- MayoClinic.com; Mediterranean Diet: Choose This Heart-Healthy Diet Option; June 2010
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Effects of Dietary Fatty Acids and Carbohydrates on the Ratio of Serum Total to HDL; M.P. Mensink, et al.; May 2003
