When it comes to decreasing your risks of health complications such as heart disease, or even heart attack and stroke, reducing your cholesterol can be a huge step in decreasing those risks.
If possible, trans fats should be cut off by any means, but saturated fats are the real problem and should be avoided or at least reduced. You do not need to scrutinize your diet by counting calories, even though fats are high in calories. Try replacing calorie-heavy foods with healthier alternatives instead of totally fading them out. Some simple changes you can do are:
Instead of whole or reduced fat use skim milk
Switch from regular soda to diet soda
Use low fat butter substitutes instead of lard
Switch to lite foods.
Eating in smaller portions is better. You may not realize that you are eating more than you need because foods today are sold in increasingly larger sizes. Buying smaller portions can help you control your calories, though it may be hard to resist those temping 2 for 1 deals at the grocery store.
Right food for your cholesterol
Fish lowers triglycerides, raises HDL and lowers LDL and it is also a great source of omega 3 fatty acids.
Nuts lower the LDL levels and are high in unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated)
Soy has been shown to reduce LDL levels, however, this only has been shown to do so very slightly.
Fiber lowers cholesterol. It is usually found in apples, whole grain bread, green peas, kidney beans, broccoli and brown rice.
Oatmeal lowers your LDL without lowering your HDL as well.
You can lower the chances of LDL building up in your arteries by increasing the intake of antioxidants in foods such as vitamins A, E and C. Antioxidant vitamins can be found in foods such as melons, oils and margarines, oranges and strawberries.
Tips for cooking healthy
Instead of read meat, try buying lean meats like turkey or chicken and trim all the fat from it before cooking
Cook with olive and canola oils which are high in monounsaturated fats and vegetable oil which is high in polyunsaturated fats
Use whole grain flour instead of white flour
Instead of frying meats try boiling, broiling, baking, roasting or poaching them. And remember to drain off all fat before eating
Avoid salty snack foods, pickles, cured meats and cheeses. Remember to always reduce your salt intake by using herbs to flavor your meals.