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Anti-cholesterol Foods

While the word "cholesterol" carries many negative connotations, your body actually needs this substance for a variety of functions. Your liver produces much of what your body needs, however, and eating a diet high in cholesterol and certain types of fat can lead to cholesterol build-up in your arteries, increasing your risk of serious health problems, including stroke and heart attack. Dietary intervention forms a cornerstone of managing this problem, and many foods have demonstrated specific, cholesterol-lowering benefits.

  1. Fiber-rich Foods

    • Fiber, the indigestible component of plant foods, helps lower cholesterol by decreasing its absorption in your intestines. While eating a diet low in cholesterol, saturated fat and trans fats exerts the strongest effect on cholesterol levels, the American Heart Association says the addition of fiber-rich foods will produce better benefits compared with a diet that just focuses on cholesterol and fat intake. Increasing your intake of all plant foods will naturally increase fiber consumption, as they all contain this substance. Particularly rich sources of insoluble fiber -- the type of fiber linked to lowering cholesterol -- include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and apple pulp. Choose whole grains over refined grains; the latter has been stripped of the part of the grain that contains the bulk of fiber. Aim for at least 25g of fiber daily.

    Unsaturated Fats

    • While fat generally gets a bad rap, there are many types with each exerting different effects on the body. A report on fats and cholesterol from the Harvard School of Public Health notes that even though fat intake has decreased over the last few decades, obesity, diabetes and other health problems have increased. In recent years, the medical community has been discovering the benefits of unsaturated fats, which have been shown to lower cholesterol levels. Examples include nuts, seeds, olive oil, canola oil, avocados, fatty fish, soy, chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds. Keep fats to about 35 percent of total calories; regardless of the type of fat you eat, it contains more than twice the calories per gram compared with carbohydrates and protein, and eating too much fat will lead to increased fat storage.

    Plant Sterols and Stanols

    • All plant foods contain substances called sterols and stanols, which have been shown to significantly lower cholesterol levels. They interfere with cholesterol absorption, so your body excretes more cholesterol as a waste product. The amount present in foods cannot provide any therapeutic value, so you must look for foods and beverages fortified with sterols and stanols, such as orange juice, margarine and other spreads, cooking oils, granola, yogurt and salad dressings. Products containing sterols or stanols usually are labeled as such. Aim for 2,000mg daily.

    Foods to Limit or Avoid

    • Foods highest in saturated fat and cholesterol include organ meats, beef, pork, shrimp, squid, egg yolks and full-fat dairy products. Trans fats also exert a deleterious effect on cholesterol levels, worse than saturated fat. Avoid packaged foods that list partially-hydrogenated oil as an ingredient. Foods that commonly contain trans fats include fried foods, fast food, cakes, cookies, pie and most commercially-prepared foods. The emerging evidence pointing to the dangers of these fats has led many manufacturers and restaurants to eliminate them from food preparation, but they still are used widely.

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