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Although your body needs cholesterol, having too much cholesterol can lead to serious health issues including coronary artery disease and other heart disease. One of the remedies for lowering high cholesterol is following a low cholesterol diet. This includes limiting your diet to 30% of calories from fat and consuming less than 300mg/day of cholesterol. Place close attention to the number of mg found in animal products as many are found to contain high amounts of cholesterol including egg yolks, shrimp, whole milk dairy products, and liver and other organ meats.
How to help lower your cholesterol:
- Limit foods with cholesterol
- Eat plenty of soluble fiber (whole grain cereals such as oatmeal, fruit, and legumes)
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
- Eat fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Limit salt
- Limit alcohol
Diet Tips to Lower Cholesterol
| Types of Food | Foods Allowed | Foods to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Milk & Cheese | Skim or 1% milk (liquid, dry, or evaporated), nonfat or low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese (1-2%), low-fat cheese (labeled no more than 6g fat per ounce). | Whole milk, regular evaporated condensed or chocolate milk, whole milk yogurt, imitation milk products, most non-dairy creamers, whipped toppings |
| Fish, Meat, & Poultry | Fish, tuna packed in water, poultry without skin, baked, boiled, broiled or roasted. LEAN, well-trimmed beef, lamb, pork or veal | Fatty meats, organ meats, spareribs, regular cold cuts, sausage, hot dogs, bacon |
| Eggs | Whites (2 whites = 1 whole egg in recipes), cholesterol-free egg substitutes | Egg yolks (try not to have more than 3-4 a week, including what is used in recipes) |
| Breads & Cereals | Home-made baked goods using vegetable oils sparingly, and no egg yolks or whole milk. Whole-grain breads, pasta, rice, hominy grits | Commercial baked goods, pies, cakes, doughnuts, pastries, croissants, muffins, biscuits, high-fat crackers and cookies |
| Vegetables & Fruits | Any fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables | Vegetables prepared in butter, cream, or other sauces |
| Fats & Oils | Baking cocoa, unsaturated vegetable oils such as olive, rapeseed (canola), corn, sesame, soybean, sunflower. Margarines made from one of the oils listed above. Mayonnaise or salad dressing made with one of the oils listed above, seeds and nuts | Chocolate! Butter, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, lard, bacon fat |
| Desserts | Fruit ices, sherbet, angel food cake, Jell-O, low-fat yogurt and cakes, cookies, and muffins made with fat and cholesterol modifying recipes | Pastries, ice cream, cookies, cheesecake |
| Snacks | Graham crackers, rye crisp, soda crackers, melba toast, bagels, fruit, English muffins, ready-to-eat cereals, air-popped popcorn, pretzels | Snack crackers, corn chips, potato chips, tortilla chips, cheese puffs, French fries |
