Diet Menu for Lowering Cholesterol

If you need to lower your cholesterol, you can do it without the use of medication if you control your diet. Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in the bloodstream. The goal is to minimize your intake of foods that raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol while maximizing intake of foods that raise HDL ("good") cholesterol.

More Fruits and Vegetables

Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet will increase your dietary fiber and energy and as well as provide essential vitamins and minerals. Most importantly, fruits and vegetables will help lower your dietary cholesterol because they contain none. Instead of chips and candy for a snack, try currants, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, carrots and corn.

More Whole Grains, Nuts and Legumes

Start off your morning with a bowl of oatmeal and you're doing one of the best things you can do for lowering your cholesterol. Whole-grain cereals also have no cholesterol but they have fiber, which can help the body rid itself of cholesterol. Eat cereals with low-fat or fat-free milk to avoid adding more cholesterol to your breakfast. Peanuts, almonds, beans and lentils will also help lower your LDL cholesterol.

Avoid Saturated Fats

This is a big component of a cholesterol-lowering diet. Avoid foods high in saturated fats, especially fast foods, which are usually fried in unhealthy fats. Drop junk food like potato chips and candy bars from your diet. Replace butter with margarine that doesn't contain partially hydrogenated oil. Replace partially hydrogenated cooking oil with canola oil or olive oil. Use more spices in your cooking to give your foods taste rather than relying on butter and sauces.

Moderate the Meats and Full-fat Dairy

Red meats, organ meat and full-fat dairy products can contain high levels of cholesterol. While you don't need to eliminate them from your diet entirely, cut back on them. In particular, watch out for full-fat dairy products and high-fat processed meats. Choose lean cuts of meat and reduced-fat or fat-free dairy products.

Fish and Poultry

Fish, chicken and turkey are better choices for a main dish than red meat, but they still should be prepared with low cholesterol in mind. Remove the skin. Bake, grill or broil them as opposed to frying them. Fish such as salmon, swordfish and tuna are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce your chances of cardiovascular disease.

Some Additional Tips

Store soups, stews and cooked meats in the refrigerator several hours. This will solidify the fats on the top of the liquids so it can be removed. Once done, the dish can be heated and served. Choose low-fat substitutes whenever available. Use two egg whites instead of a full egg with yolk in recipes. Use nonstick cooking sprays to grease pots and pans instead of butter.