| Diet |
High cholesterol is usually associated with a bad diet, obesity, poor lifestyle choices or is hereditary. Whatever your reason is for having high cholesterol, the best way to lower your cholesterol is by changing your diet to a diet low in saturated fat and high in fiber, in conjunction with cholesterol-lowering medicine, if necessary.
Every person is different, so you should also consult your doctor or health expert before you do anything. However, here are some food strategies to reduce your cholesterol:
Diet Summary
- Eat foods with less fat and avoid all animal and saturated fats. Make sure these fats are no more than 10-15% of your total calories
- Choose foods high in fiber and rich in complex carbohydrates – between 50% and 60% of your total caloric intake should be from these good carbs
- Increase your whole grains and avoid all refined foods and sugars
- Reduce your caloric intake and maintain a desirable weight
According to the American Heart Association, a healthy diet includes:
- Eating a variety of whole vegetables and fruits
- Eating colorful fruits and vegetables
- Choosing whole fruits over juices
- A least half your grain intake from whole foods
- Reducing your intake of any beverages and foods with added sugars
Recommended Food Portions per Day
| Lean meat, fish or processed soy alternatives |
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5 ounces or less |
| Eggs |
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whites unlimited or ½ of egg |
| Low-fat dairy (less than 1% fat) |
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2-3 8-ounce servings |
| Fats/oils |
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less than 7 tablespoons |
| Whole rains |
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6-8 servings |
| Vegetables |
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8-10 4-ounce servings |
| Fruits |
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2-4 servings |
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| melsQuiz answer |
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| melsBuzz |
- Scientists say high-cholesterol foods like eggs and shrimp pose little or no threat to people, and that the primary cause of high cholesterol is saturated, animal fat.
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| melsAdvice |
Read Labels! You can’t believe what manufacturers tell you:
- "Cholesterol-free" means less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of fat
- “Low cholesterol” means 20 mg or less of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat
- “Fat-free” means less than ½ gram of fat per serving
- “Low fat” means 3 grams or less of fat per serving
- "Reduced fat” means at least 25% less fat than other brands of the same food
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| DidYouKnow? |
- Switching from a high-fat diet to a whole foods diet has shown in studies to reduce cholesterol by 21% in a month. This diet includes antioxidant-packed high-fiber raisins, whole wheat berries, sesame seeds, nuts, green tea, orange and green vegetables, garlic, red wine and red grape juice, and soybeans
- Drinking French-press coffee increases cholesterol levels, while drinking paper-filtered coffee does not
- Soluble fiber from beans, flaxseed, oats and fruit has lowered cholesterol in most studies
- When people eat a number of small meals, cholesterol levels appear to fall compared to those who eat larger meals
- Eating garlic has shown to help lower cholesterol in some research, but the relationship between the two is still unproven. The reason to eat garlic is because it is a natural blood thinner. Some doctors recommend taking up to 900 mg of garlic powder as a daily supplement, in addition to eating garlic
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| melsTips |
- Reduce your sugar intake. Even though the exact relationship between sugar, cholesterol and heart disease is unclear, sugar is not good for you and is commonly found in high-cholesterol foods.
- Reduce salt
- Substitute whole wheat flour for white flour when possible
- Sprinkle wheat germ and flaxseeds over your no-fat yogurt and cottage cheese
- Eat veggies for snacks or add them to your favorite dishes and salads
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| melsQuiz |
- In diets high in saturated fat and transfatty acids, which two primary health issues occur?
- If you lost approximately 10 pounds, how much could you reduce your bad cholesterol?
- By eating an extra 5-10 grams of viscous fiber daily, how much could you lower your bad cholesterol?
- True or False? Most saturated fats in foods raise blood cholesterol levels more than cholesterol-dense foods?
- Which 5 foods contribute approximately 70% of the average person’s food cholesterol in their daily diet?
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| melsQuiz Answers |
- High LDL (bad) cholesterol and heart disease
- Between 5-8%
- Approximately 5%
- True
- Eggs 30%, beef 16%, poultry 12%, cheese 6% and milk 5%
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