Cholesterol Control Diet

For the millions of Americans diagnosed with high cholesterol each year, reducing and controlling their cholesterol through diet rather than prescription medication is an option. For many, a change in diet is all that's needed to lower and maintain healthy cholesterol levels. You don't necessarily have to deprive yourself of everything you love. You just need to be more vigilant when making food choices and make small changes, which can result in a healthier you.

Understanding Cholesterol

• Contrary to popular belief, cholesterol does not have to be your enemy. In fact, your body produces a certain amount of cholesterol naturally for the purpose of producing hormones and cell membranes. Problems arise when you add to the amounts produced by your body with poor food choices such as fried foods or foods high in fat. This creates an excess amount of cholesterol in your body, which is left to build up in your arteries over a period of time.

The Good and the Bad

• There are two main types of cholesterol that everyone talks about: LDL (bad cholesterol), and HDL (good cholesterol). LDL is the problem maker; it just floats around in your bloodstream, combining with other substances, eventually forming plaque along the walls of your arteries. As this plaque becomes thicker, your arteries become more narrow, making it extremely difficult for your blood to make its way to your heart and brain, the two areas it's most needed. This can eventually result in heart attack, heart disease and stroke.

  HDL is the good guy, the cholesterol that saves the day. The job of HDL is to help the blood circulate and carry any excess cholesterol back to the liver, where it is then expelled out of the body. The higher your HDL levels, the lower your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

  Your diet affects both LDL and HDL; some foods can lower your LDL levels while increasing your HDL levels. These are the foods you need to incorporate into your diet.

Reduce Your Saturated Fats

• This is an excellent point to focus on as you try to control your cholesterol. Although trans fats are more damaging than saturated fats, they are being phased out of many of the foods available in the stores today. This means it will be more effective for you to focus on reducing the saturated fats in the foods you eat.

  Saturated fats are most commonly found in meat products such as red meat, eggs, and full-fat dairy products. When trying to control your cholesterol levels, saturated fats should comprise no more than 7 percent of your total calories for the day, which averages out to 16 grams a day for most people. Rather than eating a burger or steak, try substituting fish or chicken. If you enjoy milk, go for skim rather than whole. Simple changes make a huge difference.

Reduce Your Cholesterol

• This is obvious, however many of the foods you eat contain cholesterol. In fact cholesterol and saturated fats typically go hand-in-hand. You should consume no more than 200 grams of cholesterol a day. To track this, read your food labels.

Add Good Fats

• Not all oils and fats are bad for you, and extra-virgin olive oil is an excellent example. It contains a powerful mixture of antioxidants, which are useful for lowering your levels of LDL. While you only need two tablespoons per day to reap its rewards, substituting it for high-fat foods such as margarine or butter when cooking, or salad dressings as a salad topper helps you control your cholesterol more efficiently.

Eat More Soluble Fiber

• Think of soluble fiber as a trapper: It catches the cholesterol in the digestive tract before it has an opportunity to reach the bloodstream. It can then be passed through the body and expelled before it does any harm.

  Good sources of soluble fiber include oats, brans, fruits and vegetables. To get the recommended amount of 5 to 10 grams a day of soluble fiber, you can eat a bowl of oatmeal with a piece of fruit each morning. If you're not an oatmeal lover, try a bowl of Cherrios with fruit instead; this is just as effective and a bit more tasty.