High Cholesterol Diet Guidelines

What you can do to lower your cholesterol for better heart health.

READER'S COMMENT:

"you may want to explain the math further on the saturated fat section. you have it listed as 7% of 2000 calorie diet which comes to 140 calories this is 15.5 grams by dividing by 9 (9 calories for each gram of fat) "

More on Cholesterol
10 Steps to Heart Health
Lower Your Cholesterol with Stanols and Sterols
Healthy Cholesterol: Whole Grain Tips for Reducing Cholesterol Video
High Cholesterol Center

Consider adding plant sterols to your diet

Studies show eating 2 grams of plant sterols daily may reduce cholesterol significantly when part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends these only for people who actually have high levels of LDL cholesterol. Eating them won’t prevent you from developing high cholesterol.

Plant sterols are a class of micronutrients present in small amounts in many fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes and vegetable oils, and they help block the absorption of cholesterol. Foods that are fortified with sterols are now available. (You’ve probably heard of Take Control and Benecol spreads.)