Eating healthy is definitely the way to go when trying to lower your cholesterol. Food has a profound effect on the body and how it functions. By filling up on healthy items, not only will your cholesterol levels improve but your risk for heart disease, stroke or heart attack will decrease.
Consume More Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol as well as take excess cholesterol out of the body. Fill your diet with plenty of vegetables to get much-needed vitamins and nutrients as well as soluble fiber. Fruits, legumes and whole wheat items are also excellent choices to include in your diet to help lower your cholesterol because they all contain a good amount of soluble fiber.
Minimize Saturated Fats
Saturated fats can raise you blood cholesterol, and many foods high in saturated fat are also high in cholesterol. According to Dr. Roger Blumenthal, director of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, foods rich in saturated fats and trans fats affect blood cholesterol levels much more than foods naturally high in cholesterol. The majority of saturated fats come from animal products such as meats and dairy--lamb, pork, fatty beef, cheese, lard, cream and butter.
Limit or Avoid Trans Fats
Trans fats are made when hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. Check your ingredients for "partially hydrogenated oils," which is another term for trans fats. Trans fats raise your LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels and lower your HDL or "good" cholesterol levels. You can find trans fats in many different foods, but particularly in fried and baked foods such as French fries, doughnuts, pastries, biscuits, cookies, stick margarine and shortenings. Limit or avoid these foods as much as you can to lower your cholesterol.
Choose Healthy Animal Products
Although you cannot eliminate cholesterol from animal products, there are always better choices to make before you consume them. Opt for skim or 1 percent dairy products whenever possible as these items have a significantly lower amount of cholesterol than the regular item.
Choose lean-cut meats such as turkey and chicken or opt for fish like salmon or tuna. Fish contain Omega-3 fats, which can help lower your LDL or "bad" cholesterol. Bake, grill or roast your meats, trim excess fat and remove the skin whenever possible. Avoid the yolk and eat the egg whites as the yolk is the holder of cholesterol.
Control Your Portion Size
Eating healthy also pertains to how much you are eating. Large portions can add more calories, which could lead to weight gain. Being overweight can affect your cholesterol and blood pressure, which could ultimately lead to health problems such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes. Eat smaller portions, consume your food slowly and, if you start to feel full, stop eating.
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