Everyone knows high cholesterol is not good. High cholesterol often leads to atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup on the inner walls of your arteries, which can block the flow of blood and is a major contributing factor to heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease, a circulatory disorder.
High cholesterol usually refers to high LDL cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein. This is known as the “bad” cholesterol. By contrast, HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is considered “good” cholesterol and can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Our understanding of diet and what foods help to lower LDL cholesterol is continuously evolving and can sometimes be confusing. For those seeking to lower their cholesterol, Theresa Halloran, FNP-BC, a Nurse Practitioner at Mount Sinai Heart, has some simple suggestions. These can help you make better, healthier choices, like switching out that chip and dip snack for veggies and hummus. And they still taste great.
Eggs
Egg yolks are high in cholesterol. Eggs are still a healthy source of protein, and it is more important to reduce foods high in saturated fat than foods containing cholesterol. One suggestion: If you have two scrambled eggs for breakfast, discard one yolk. Or use egg whites from a carton and add some fresh vegetables to make a healthy omelet. Egg whites contain no fat and no cholesterol. Substitute two egg whites for one egg in recipes.
Meat, poultry, and seafood
We suggest a maximum of two servings of meat, chicken, or seafood in your diet daily. Red meat, such as beef, lamb, or pork, contains saturated or unhealthy fat. Those seeking to reduce their cholesterol should consider limiting the amount of saturated fat in their diet by reducing or eliminating red meat. Another good option is choosing lean cuts and trim any fat before eating. White meat chicken contains less saturated fat than the dark meat and chicken skin is high in fat. The best option for eating chicken is skinless chicken breasts. Fish and seafood, such as crab, shrimp, clams, scallops, or lobster, are low in saturated fat. But note that six shrimp have the equivalent cholesterol of one egg yolk, and squid is even higher in cholesterol, so have them only occasionally.
Oils and fats
Healthy fats, such as mono-saturated or unsaturated fats, are found in cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and herring. They are also found in some plants like avocados. Be sure to include some of these foods in your diet. Baking or broiling are low-fat cooking methods. When ordering in restaurants, choose foods cooked with these low-fat methods. If cooking at home, use healthy fats such as olive oil, and reduce or eliminate butter, which is high in saturated fat.
Milk, dairy desserts, and cheese
Use skim milk or one percent milk rather than whole milk. Sorbet, low-fat frozen yogurt, and ice cream made from skim milk are good substitutes for regular ice cream. Low-fat cheeses with no more than 2 to 3 grams of fat per ounce may be substituted for regular cheese.
Fiber
There are two main types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Most high-fiber foods contain both.
- Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol. When mixed in water, soluble fiber forms a gel. It binds with cholesterol in the intestines and prevents absorption or reabsorption of the cholesterol into the blood stream. The cholesterol then gets eliminated. Foods that are high in soluble fiber include oatmeal; hummus; legumes such as kidney beans, lima beans, and lentils; and Brussels sprouts.
- Insoluble fiber is most important for the health of your intestines. It helps to remove toxins from your body and is found in cereals, leafy greens, whole wheat products, corn, seeds, and nuts.
Key takeaway: Read the label on the package. If it doesn’t specifically say soluble fiber, it probably isn’t.