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. This includes raising good HDL cholesterol, managing blood pressure levels and many other heart-healthy benefits.

Do I need to start running every day? Do I need to join a gym or buy a bunch of home fitness equipment? If you want to, go ahead! Ideally, you want to aim for at least 2. You can break that up however you like. You might focus on doing something every day, or you could dedicate yourself to just a few days per week.

The key is to just get started. For example, do you usually take the elevator? Take the stairs instead. Do you walk your dog every day? Go a little farther than usual or walk at a faster pace. Need to go shopping? Park farther away than you normally do. Catching up on your favorite TV series?

Also look for chances to bring motion into your daily life, such as walking while you talk on the phone. It also helps reduce blood pressure and builds your overall physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Even if you just go a little farther or a little faster than you usually do, that extra activity will be a big step in the right direction for your health.

Your primary care doctor is a helpful partner along your journey. Your doctor can work with you to create an action plan just for you — one that combines diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes to help you lower and manage your cholesterol.

For example, losing weight and quitting smoking can be big helpers for lowering cholesterol. Quitting smoking can raise your good HDL cholesterol levels, and losing weight can lower your bad LDL cholesterol levels significantly.

Fortunately, your primary care doctor can be a great resource to help you get started and find practical ways to stick with it. Plus, help with quitting smoking and losing weight may already be covered if you have health insurance.

Whether you want to quit smoking, lose weight or just learn more about how your personal health would benefit from lower cholesterol levels, regular check-ins with your doctor are key.

They can also perform cholesterol tests — the only way to actually measure cholesterol — to check your progress and help you make adjustments based on the results. Sound like a lot to take on? Rather, start with changing your mindset. How well do you score on brain health?

Shining light on night blindness. Can watching sports be bad for your health? Beyond the usual suspects for healthy resolutions. July 24, Many people can lower cholesterol levels simply by changing what they eat. Here are four steps for using your diet to lower cholesterol. Stick with unsaturated fats and avoid saturated and trans fats.

Most vegetable fats oils are made up of unsaturated fats that are healthy for your heart. Foods that contain healthy fats include oily fish, nuts, seeds, and some vegetables. At the same time, limit your intake of foods high in saturated fat, which is found in many meat and dairy products, and stay away from trans fats.

These include any foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Get more soluble fiber. Eat more soluble fiber, such as that found in oatmeal and fruits. This type of fiber can lower blood cholesterol levels when eaten as part of a healthy-fat diet.

Include plant sterols and stanols in your diet. These naturally occurring plant compounds are similar in structure to cholesterol. When you eat them, they help limit the amount of cholesterol your body can absorb. Plant sterols and stanols are found in an increasing number of food products such as spreads, juices, and yogurts.

Find a diet that works for you. When a friend or relative tells you how much his or her cholesterol level dropped after trying a particular diet, you may be tempted to try it yourself. If you do, and after a few months you discover that you're not getting the same benefits, you may need to chalk it up to genetic and physiological differences.

There is no one-size-fits-all diet for cholesterol control. You may need to try several approaches to find one that works for you. Although diet can be a simple and powerful way to improve cholesterol levels, it plays a bigger role for some people than for others.

Don't be discouraged if you have followed a diet but not reached your goal blood level. Keep it up. Even if you do end up needing medication to keep your cholesterol in check, you likely will need less than if you didn't make any dietary changes.

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Related Content. Heart Health.

This condition increases fatty deposits in arteries and the risk of blockages. Another way your cholesterol numbers can be out of balance is when your HDL good cholesterol level is too low. With less HDL to remove cholesterol from your arteries, your risk of atherosclerotic plaque and blockages increases.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ASCVD involves plaque buildup in arterial walls which includes conditions such as acute coronary syndrome and peripheral artery disease , and can cause a heart attack, stable or unstable angina , stroke , transient ischemic attack TIA or aortic aneurysm.

Download Reduce Your Risk of ASCVD PDF Spanish PDF. These factors can combine with high LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol levels to affect your cardiovascular health.

Your doctor may use the ASCVD Risk Calculator to assess your risk of a coronary event in the next 10 years. The good news is, high cholesterol can be lowered, reducing risk of heart disease and stroke. Often, changing behaviors can help bring your numbers into line.

Lifestyle changes include:. From a dietary standpoint, the best way to lower your cholesterol is reduce your intake of saturated fat and trans fat. Reducing these fats means limiting your intake of red meat and dairy products made with whole milk.

Choose skim milk, low-fat or fat-free dairy products instead. It also means limiting fried food and cooking with healthy oils, such as vegetable oil. A heart-healthy diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish, nuts and nontropical vegetable oils , while limiting red and processed meats, sodium and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages.

Many diets fit this general description. For example, the DASH Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as well as diets suggested by the U. Department of Agriculture and the American Heart Association are heart-healthy approaches.

Such diets can be adapted based on your cultural and food preferences. A sedentary lifestyle lowers HDL cholesterol. Physical activity is important. Snack on a handful of almonds or pecans. Soy is also an excellent source of protein. Good examples of soy include soymilk, edamame green soybeans , tofu, and soy protein shakes.

Get more fiber in your diet. Add good sources of fiber to your meals. Examples include:. In addition to fiber, whole grains supply B vitamins and important nutrients not found in foods made with white flour.

Eat more fish. Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Wild-caught oily fish are the best sources of omega-3s.

These include salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines. But all fish contain some amount of this beneficial fatty acid. Aim for 2 6-oz. servings every week. Add supplements to your diet.

Some examples include:. Learn how to read a nutrition facts label. All packaged and processed foods should contain a nutrition facts label. This label shows the nutritional content of the food. It will outline the fat, fiber, protein, and other nutrients in the food.

Ask your doctor to help you learn to read these labels. Often, there are no symptoms telling you that you could have high cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol, your body may store the extra cholesterol in your arteries.

This build-up is called plaque. Over time plaque can become hard and make your arteries narrow. Large deposits of plaque can completely block an artery. The plaque can also break open. This leads to formation of a blood clot that can block the flow of blood.

If an artery that leads to the heart becomes blocked, you could have a heart attack. If an artery that leads to the brain is blocked, you are at risk of having a stroke. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Cholesterol.

National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus: How to Lower Cholesterol with Diet. National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: High Bad Cholesterol.

Last Updated: July 20, This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.

Learn how you can prevent and manage heart disease as well as treat conditions that lead to heart attack. Lowering your bad cholesterol can reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. There are many medicines…. Visit The Symptom Checker. Read More. BRAT Diet: Recovering From an Upset Stomach.

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Home Prevention and Wellness Food and Nutrition Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your 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:.