The Best Low Cholesterol Diet

Why the emphasis on low cholesterol diets? The answer is simple. According to the Center for Disease Control, high cholesterol is a major contributing factor to heart disease, the leading cause of death in America. High cholesterol plays a role in half of all heart attacks and 20 percent of strokes. The good news is you can take steps to lower cholesterol by eating a low-cholesterol diet. With smart food choices, a good measure of exercise and a healthy lifestyle, you can ensure your own heart health.

Basis of Low Cholesterol Diet

• A low cholesterol diet seeks to minimize bad (LDL) cholesterol and raise good (HDL) cholesterol. Bad cholesterol forms plaque--a thick, hard deposit that can clog your arteries. Narrow, less flexible arteries can give rise to a condition called atherosclerosis, a major cause of heart disease. On the other hand, good cholesterol patrols bad cholesterol and acts like a broom, sweeping the arteries clean of fat deposits and bringing them to the liver to be disposed of.
  The best low cholesterol diet includes food high in healthy fats and soluble fiber and eliminates foods high in dietary cholesterol and trans fats.

1. Choose Healthy Fats

• Dutch researchers found that replacing saturated fats with healthy fats can decrease harmful LDL and increase protective HDL. Do a food check on your daily diet and reduce intake of foods rich in saturated fats, such as red meats, full-fat dairy products (cheese, milk, ice cream), some seafoods and plant fats like coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil. Most processed and commercially prepared foods are infused with trans fat, the worst kind for cholesterol levels as it not only increases your total LDL cholesterol but lowers your good cholesterol level as well. Eliminate these foods or choose snacks without trans fats.

  Instead, choose healthy fats:
  Monounsaturated fats, found in olive, canola and peanut oils and in most nuts, like almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans. Avocadoes, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds also boast high levels of monounsaturated fats.

  Polyunsaturated fats
  Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, herring, trout and mackerel are chock full of Omega-3 fatty acids. Replace meat with fish 2 to 3 times a week. Other notable sources include flaxseed, sunflower seeds and vegetables oils such as soybean, corn, sunflower and safflower.

2. Fruits and Vegetables

• Fruits and vegetables have no cholesterol and are low in saturated fats and sodium. In addition, they are full of phytonutrients and fiber, which helps to clean the arteries of bad cholesterol. Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily---in salads, desserts, snacks and soups, or even making them the main dish of your meal.

3. Foods High in Soluble Fiber

• Foods like oats, barley, citrus fruits, apples, psyllium, quinoa and beans are rich in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber bind itself to the cholesterol found in bile acids and escorts them away to be eliminated, effectively lowering cholesterol. Add these foods to your meals to maintain a healthy cholesterol profile.