Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Cholesterol
 There are a number of things you can do every day that can improve your cholesterol levels – and your overall health. Following a healthy diet and lifestyle can give you the edge in the fight against heart disease and stroke. Here are some tips on how you can take an active part.
Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet
Know Your Fats
Knowing which fats raise LDL cholesterol and which ones don't is the first step in lowering your risk of heart disease. In addition to the LDL produced naturally by your body, saturated fat, trans-fatty acids and dietary cholesterol can also raise blood cholesterol.
- Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35% of your total daily calories. Less than 7% of daily calories should be from saturated fats.
- Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories. The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils.
- Eat less than 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day.
- Choose a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole-grain, high-fiber foods, and fat-free and low-fat dairy.
- Use naturally occurring, unhydrogenated vegetable oils such as canola, safflower, sunflower or olive oil most often.
- Look for processed foods made with unhydrogenated oil rather than partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated vegetable oils or saturated fat.
- Use soft margarine as a substitute for butter, and choose soft margarines (liquid or tub varieties) over harder stick forms.
- Look for ”0 g trans fat” on the Nutrition Facts label. French fries, doughnuts, cookies, crackers, muffins, pies and cakes are examples of foods that are high in trans fat.
- Limit the saturated fat in your diet. If you don't eat a lot of saturated fat, you won't be consuming a lot of trans fat.
- Limit commercially fried foods and baked goods made with shortening or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Not only are these foods very high in fat but are likely to also be high in trans fat.
Make Healthy Food Choices
- Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fats. You should eat no more than 6 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, fish or seafood a day. The leanest beef cuts usually include sirloin, chuck, loin and round. Choose “choice” or “select” grades, and choose lean or extra lean ground meats. Organ meats are very high in cholesterol. You should also cut back on processed meats which are high in saturated fat and sodium.
- Eat at least two servings of fish each week. Fish can be fatty or lean, but it is still low in saturated fat. Prepare fish baked, broiled, grilled or boiled rather than breaded and fried.
- Select fat-free, 1% fat and low-fat dairy products. Minimize your intake of whole-fat dairy products. Gradually switch to fat-free, low-fat or reduced-fat dairy products.
- Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Try to eat less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol each day. Egg whites don’t contain cholesterol and are a good source of protein.
- Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars. Cut back on added sugars to lower your total calorie intake and help control your weight. These foods also tend to be low in vitamins and minerals, and the calories add up quickly. Examples of added sugars are sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, corn syrups, high-fructose corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice and honey.
- Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Foods low in salt lower your risk for high blood pressure and may help you control it. Aim to consume less than 2,300 mg of salt of sodium per day. Choose foods labeled “reduced-sodium” and limit high-sodium condiments and foods such as soy sauce, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and mustard, flavored seasoning salts, pickles and olives. Replace salt with herbs and spices or use salt-free seasoning mixes.
| 1/4 teaspoon salt = |
600 milligrams (mg) sodium |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt = |
1,200 mg sodium |
| 3/4 teaspoon salt = |
1,800 mg sodium |
| 1 teaspoon salt = |
2,300 mg sodium |
| 1 teaspoon baking soda = |
1,000 mg sodium |
- Cholesterol, fiber, and oat bran. When regularly eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, soluble fiber has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol. You should eat at least 25-30 grams of dietary fiber - in both soluble and insoluble forms – every day.
Note: Good food sources of soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, barley, citrus fruits, and strawberries. Foods high in insoluble fiber include whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, wheat bran, cabbage, carrots, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.
Read the Food Labels
Reading the labels will help you choose foods more wisely. Many foods have saturated fat or trans fat that can raise your cholesterol. Some may be high in sodium, which can increase your blood pressure. Read the labels and know what some of the key terms mean.
| "Free" |
Has the least amount of a substance, such as salt free. |
| "Very Low" or "Low" |
Has a little more |
| "Reduced” or "Less" |
Always means the food has 25% less of a substance than the standard version of the food |
Tips for Eating Out
You can eat out and eat healthy, too. Many restaurants offer delicious meals that are low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
Don’t be shy about making special requests. Most foods on most menus will probably fit into a heart-healthy diet if prepared with low-fat ingredients and less salt. Ask your server if the kitchen can alter preparations to meet your needs, or call ahead before you choose your restaurant. If your food isn't prepared as you requested, send it back. Equally important is the portion size. Help control your weight by asking for smaller portions, sharing entrees with a companion, or putting half of your meal in a to-go box to enjoy another time.
Avoid Tobacco
 If you smoke, your cholesterol level is one more good reason to quit. Smoking speeds up the process of hardening of the arteries and is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Quitting smoking is lowers one’s risk of heart attack and stroke.
Get Moving
 Physical inactivity is a major factor for heart disease. You should get at least 30 minutes of physical activity, preferably every day but at least more days than not. Regular physical activity affects blood cholesterol level by increasing the level of HDL (good) cholesterol. It can also help control other risk factors for heart disease: weight, diabetes and high blood pressure. You don’t have to join a structured exercise program to benefit from physical activity. Even mild activities, if done daily, can help. You can benefit from things like walking, gardening, housework or dancing.
- If you have been inactive for a long time, are overweight, have a high risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, or some other chronic health problem, see your doctor for a medical evaluation before beginning a new physical activity program.
- Don’t overdo it. Do physical activity at a level that is appropriate for your fitness level. You can slowly increase the duration and intensity of your activities as you become more fit. Over time, work up to at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week.
Note: If you are overweight, you can help lower your cholesterol and improve your health by losing just 10 percent of your weight.
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High blood cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease – the number one killer in Americans. About 50% of American adults aged 20 years and older have cholesterol levels that are higher than desirable.
