Cholesterol Diet: Good Vs Bad Foods

Some foods can have a positive or negative impact on your good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol levels. Foods rich in unsaturated fats lead the list in heart-healthy fats. Foods containing saturated fats should be reduced, and foods with trans fats possibly should be eliminated because they have an adverse impact on your cholesterol.

Good Foods

• Salmon, walnuts and canola oil top the good foods list because of their omega-3 fatty acid components. Omega-3s help lower triglycerides and may ease inflammation.

  The Harvard School of Public Health Journal published a study about the correlation between omega-3 fatty acids and heart attacks. Study participants in the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto Miocardio study were heart attack survivors. Some participants were given a placebo, while others took a 1g omega-3 capsule every day for 3 years. Scientists found that those who took the omega-3 capsule were less likely to have a repeat heart attack or stroke than those who took the placebo.

  Other good foods include oatmeal, kidney beans, apples, pears, barley and prunes. These foods are high in soluble fiber which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDLs).

  Walnuts and almonds also can help reduce cholesterol levels. Nuts are full of polyunsaturated fats that keep blood vessels healthy and elastic. The Food and Drug Administration says that you can reduce your chance of heart disease by eating a handful of almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts or pecans a day.

  Cook with liquid plant oils such as olive and canola oil which are rich in unsaturated fats. These fats improve blood cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation and are found in plants such as oils, nuts and seeds.

Bad Foods

• Avoid foods rich in saturated fat such as meat, seafood and whole milk dairy products including cheese, milk and ice cream. Red meat and whole milk dairy is especially high in saturated fat, so attempt to reduce or eliminate it from your diet. The American Heart association says that saturated fat intake should not exceed 7 percent of your daily diet.

  Even a few plant foods are high in saturated fats such as coconut oil, coconuts, palm oil and palm kernel oil. Although saturated fat raises HDLs (the good cholesterol), it also increases total cholesterol by boosting LDLs (the bad cholesterol).

Ugly Foods

• Fried foods, commercially prepared baked foods, snack foods and processed foods contain trans fatty acids. Trans fats should be avoided for those with high cholesterol because they raise the LDLs (bad) and lower the HDLs (good).

  Trans fats are created when you heat liquid vegetable oil along with hydrogen gas. Doing this prevents foods from spoiling and converts oil into solid matter. Avoid foods with labels containing partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils. Partially hydrogenated oil is typically used to fry fast foods because it can handle repeated heating without breaking down.

  A Nurses' Health Study concluded that women who ate 4 tsp. of trans fat margarine each day had a 50 percent higher risk of heart disease than those who ate margarine on a rare occasion.