Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search. Español Other Languages. Prevent High Cholesterol. Minus Related Pages. Make healthy eating choices Your body makes all of the cholesterol it needs, so you do not need to obtain cholesterol through foods.

What you can do to help prevent cholesterol: Limit foods high in saturated fat. Saturated fats come from animal products such as cheese, fatty meats, and dairy desserts and tropical oils such as palm oil.

Foods that are higher in saturated fat may be high in cholesterol. Choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, sodium salt , and added sugars.

These foods include lean meats; seafood; fat-free or low-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt; whole grains; and fruits and vegetables. Eat foods naturally high in fiber, such as oatmeal and beans black, pinto, kidney, lima, and others , and unsaturated fats, which can be found in avocados, vegetable oils like olive oil, and nuts.

Find healthy, seasonal recipes at the Million Hearts ® healthy recipes page. Maintain a healthy weight Talk with your doctor about what a healthy weight is for you. Last Reviewed: May 16, Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.

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For starters, go easy on red meats. Many red meats are high in saturated fats, which can raise bad LDL cholesterol levels. For healthier alternatives, choose skinless chicken or skinless turkey more often, and avoid processed meats.

You can also try working more fish into your diet. Fish is low in saturated fats, and many kinds contain omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit your heart health and can boost your good HDL cholesterol levels.

Here are some examples of types of fish you can try to include in your diet:. All that said, steak and hamburger can be hard to resist. You just need to eat them in moderation. You probably know fiber as something that can help you with your digestive health. But if you thought fiber was only for digestion, think again: It can also help build your cardiovascular health.

A low-cholesterol food list is rich in soluble fiber fiber that can dissolve into water. Soluble fiber grabs cholesterol in your gut — before it gets into your bloodstream — and helps lower bad LDL cholesterol levels. Try oatmeal and whole grain toast for breakfast, curried lentils for lunch, or turkey chili with kidney beans for dinner.

Generally, the more processed a grain or bean, the less likely it is to have healthy benefits and nutritional value. Whenever you can, try to stock up on fresh ingredients. But common snack foods like chips, microwavable popcorn, cookies, pastries or crackers are high in trans and saturated fats.

On the other hand, snacking on fruits, vegetables and nuts not only helps you avoid bad fats, but also helps you get good fats and fiber. Raw nuts are high in unsaturated fats — which are the best kind of fats.

Nuts are great for a heart-healthy diet because they raise your good HDL cholesterol levels and lower your bad LDL cholesterol levels. Other examples of foods that are high in unsaturated fat include avocados and olives.

Nuts — along with many fruits and veggies — can also be a great source of soluble fiber. Adding as many of these foods as you can to your diet can be a double-dose of cholesterol-reducing impact.

As with meats and whole grains, remember that more processing means less benefit. When it comes to dairy, this is a big area where picking a healthier alternative can be an easy win.

For items like cheese, milk, cream and yogurt, use low-fat dairy products instead of the regular versions. Who knows? It could become your next craving. Making these changes is helpful because full-fat dairy products contain saturated fat as well as cholesterol.

Just as you can change what you buy in the grocery store, you can also choose healthier ways to make your food that help lower your cholesterol naturally. For example:. When you do need to add fat for cooking, baking or pan frying, use healthy oils instead of solid fats, like butter, margarine, shortening and lard.

Solid fats are high in saturated fats, but oils are high in unsaturated fats, which — remember — are better for you.

The American Heart Association AHA recommends using oils that have less than 4 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon and no trans fats. Try using olive oil, sunflower oil or grapeseed oil in place of a solid fat.

You might also bring out some new, surprising, subtle flavors, too. Plus, many vegetarian meals are just as flavorful and filling as their meaty cousins. For dessert, add some fresh blueberries, strawberries and oats to low-fat vanilla yogurt.

The key here is to build up a routine, like making every Tuesday night vegetarian night. Once that becomes the norm, try expanding to different nights, or add a weekly vegetarian lunch, too. Over time, these modifications can really pay off.

Limiting saturated fats in your diet, along with getting regular exercise and engaging in other healthy practices, may help lower the amount of low-density lipoprotein LDL in your blood. Lipoproteins carry cholesterol, fat, and fat-soluble vitamins in your blood.

Your liver produces as much cholesterol as your body needs. Yet several factors may influence these levels, including:. Some people recommend an overall low fat diet for weight loss, but research is mixed on its effectiveness in managing blood cholesterol, according to experts.

Here are a few great sources of monounsaturated fats :. Research from shows that polyunsaturated fats reduce LDL cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease. Polyunsaturated fats may also reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Omega-3 fatty acids are an especially heart-healthy type of polyunsaturated fat. Trans fats are unsaturated fats that have been modified by a process called hydrogenation. This makes the unsaturated fats in vegetable oils more stable. The body handles trans fats differently than other fats, and not in a good way.

Trans fats increase LDL and total cholesterol while decreasing beneficial HDL. Soluble fiber is a type of fiber that is abundant in plants and whole grains. Prioritizing whole grains can help lower LDL cholesterol levels and may have a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases.

Some of the best sources of soluble fiber include:. Exercise is a win-win for heart health. Not only does it improve physical fitness and help prevent obesity , but it also reduces harmful LDL and increases beneficial HDL.

The American Heart Association AHA advises that minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week is enough to lower cholesterol levels. Regular strength training alongside aerobic exercise can provide even more benefits.

Having excess weight or obesity can increase your risk of developing high cholesterol levels. Losing weight, if you have excess weight, can help lower your cholesterol levels.

Overall, weight loss has a double benefit on cholesterol by decreasing harmful LDL and increasing beneficial HDL. Consider working with a doctor to determine a nutrient-dense diet and sustainable weight management plan that works for you.

Smoking tobacco increases the risk of heart disease in several ways, including:. Giving up smoking, if possible, can help reverse these harmful effects. According to a review of studies , some research indicates that when consumed in moderation, alcoholic drinks can increase good HDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC and AHA disagree. The AHA does not recommend drinking wine or any other alcoholic beverage specifically to lower your cholesterol or improve heart health.

If you drink, the CDC suggests you consume only two drinks per day for males or one drink per day for females on days that you drink. Multiple types of supplements show promise for managing cholesterol. Plant stanols and sterols are plant versions of cholesterol. According to a research review, clinical studies show that taking 1.

Small amounts of plant stanols and sterols are naturally found in vegetable oils and are added to certain oils and butter substitutes. You may also consider taking certain types of supplements. But speak with a healthcare professional before starting or changing your supplement regimen.

Although food companies often advertise products as being low in cholesterol, research from shows that dietary cholesterol has only a small influence on the amount of cholesterol in your body. That said, some foods high in soluble fibers, omega-3 fatty acids, or monounsaturated fats may help lower cholesterol, including:.

Typically, there are no symptoms of high cholesterol. However, signs or symptoms of high cholesterol may include:. Eating foods with cholesterol may not raise your blood cholesterol levels.

Eggs may be part of a healthy, balanced diet. However, if you are at risk for cardiovascular disease, you may want to limit the number of eggs you eat each week.

Exercise and weight loss can also help. Read this article in Spanish. Trans fat is another bad fat; it can raise your LDL and lower you HDL good cholesterol. Trans fat is mostly in foods made with hydrogenated oils and fats, such as stick margarine, crackers, and french fries.

Instead of these bad fats, try healthier fats, such as lean meat, nuts, and unsaturated oils like canola, olive, and safflower oils. Limit foods with cholesterol. If you are trying to lower your cholesterol, you should have less than mg a day of cholesterol. Cholesterol is in foods of animal origin, such as liver and other organ meats, egg yolks, shrimp, and whole milk dairy products.

Eat plenty of soluble fiber. Foods high in soluble fiber help prevent your digestive tract from absorbing cholesterol. These foods include:. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can increase important cholesterol-lowering compounds in your diet.

These compounds, called plant stanols or sterols, work like soluble fiber. Eat fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. These acids won't lower your LDL level, but they may help raise your HDL level.

They may also protect your heart from blood clots and inflammation and reduce your risk of heart attack. Fish that are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna canned or fresh , and mackerel. Try to eat these fish two times a week.

Limit salt. You should try to limit the amount of sodium salt that you eat to no more than 2, milligrams about 1 teaspoon of salt a day. That includes all the sodium you eat, whether it was added in cooking or at the table, or already present in food products.

Limiting salt won't lower your cholesterol, but it can lower your risk of heart diseases by helping to lower your blood pressure. You can reduce your sodium by instead choosing low-salt and "no added salt" foods and seasonings at the table or while cooking.

Limit alcohol. Alcohol adds extra calories, which can lead to weight gain. Being overweight can raise your LDL level and lower your HDL level. Too much alcohol can also increase your risk of heart diseases because it can raise your blood pressure and triglyceride level.

One drink is a glass of wine, beer, or a small amount of hard liquor, and the recommendation is that:. Nutrition labels can help you figure out how much fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, and sodium is in the foods that you buy. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.

Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. How to Lower Cholesterol with Diet Also called: Low Cholesterol Diet, Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet, TLC Diet. What is cholesterol? What are the treatments for high cholesterol?

How can I lower cholesterol with diet? Another is the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet, which recommends that you Choose healthier fats.