Best Foods to Lower Cholesterol: Ultimate Cholesterol Diet Guide

The Role of Diet in Managing Cholesterol with a Diet Chart

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that resembles fat. While it is essential for your body in some amounts, excess can do more harm than good. A protein called lipoprotein is the carrier of cholesterol. Hence, it is categorised into two types—

• Good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, or HDL)
• Bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL)

A high amount of LDL in your blood increases your risk of heart disease. ³

Henceforth, you can take either an LDL cholesterol test or an HDL cholesterol test to determine the level of each of these in your body. These tests can help you choose the right kind of cholesterol control food to meet your specific needs. 

How Does Diet Affect Cholesterol Levels? 

It is important to have cholesterol-reducing foods because your diet greatly impacts your cholesterol levels. Likewise, the food you eat contains certain elements directly responsible for increasing your cholesterol levels. These include— 

Saturated And Trans Fats

Minimising the intake of foods that are rich in saturated fats and trans fats is an essential component of a cholesterol diet. Here's why: 

Saturated Fats

Suppose your diet is full of saturated fats. Along with this, saturated fats also increase the risk of other heart problems. Hence, it is important to choose low-cholesterol foods over dairy products and fatty meat cuts to minimise the saturated fat content in your cholesterol diet. ⁴

Trans Fats

For a patient with high cholesterol, trans fats are even more dangerous than saturated fats. The main reason they are excluded from a cholesterol-control diet is the fact that they not only increase bad cholesterol (LDL) but also decrease good cholesterol (HDL). Plus, they cause inflammation, which can result in—

• Heart disease
• Diabetes 
• Heart stroke

Processed snacks with baked and fried items contain the maximum trans fats. Hence, you must avoid these foods to reduce cholesterol. 

Dietary Cholesterol Vs. Blood Cholesterol 

The most misunderstood fact is that your dietary cholesterol is equal to your blood cholesterol. But that is not true. They are two very different things. 

Hence, it is not necessary that all the cholesterol that you intake through your diet go into your blood. This is because— 

• Firstly, your body has strict mechanisms that control cholesterol production. 
• Secondly, the levels of cholesterol in your blood come from carbohydrates and fats that are present in your diet (and not from dietary cholesterol) ⁵

Therefore, dietary cholesterol hardly has an impact on your blood cholesterol levels. 

General Dietary Guidelines for Lowering Cholesterol 

A good cholesterol-control diet comprises the inclusion of cholesterol-reducing foods. These are the foods that contain the minimum unhealthy fats and the maximum amount of fibre and healthy fats that lower cholesterol quickly. 

1. Whole Foods

Since they are low in fats and cholesterol, whole foods are the most important variety of cholesterol-control foods that you must include in your cholesterol diet.

Examples include—

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Lean meats
• Low-fat dairy products
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Canned Fish
• Vegetable oils ⁶

2. High Fiber Foods

Edibles that are high in fibre (especially soluble fibre) are considered excellent low-cholesterol foods because they have the ability to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) in your body. 

Examples include—

• Oatmeal
• Apple 
• Pear 
• Brussels Sprouts 
• Kidney beans ⁷

Healthy Fats Vs. Unhealthy Fats

While it is important to avoid unhealthy fats like saturated fats and trans fats to reduce cholesterol, there is another category called healthy fats, which are, in fact, good for your heart. These include:

Monounsaturated fats: They are found in cholesterol-lowering foods like—

• Peanut butter 
• Almond butter 
• Vegetable oils
• Nuts 
• Avocado