Diet Therapy Options

There are different diet options available for lowering your cholesterol.

One option is the Mediterranean diet, which replaces saturated fats with monounsaturated fats. Studies indicate that this is one of the most effective diet therapy options for improving unhealthy cholesterol values. Substituting monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats in your diet can help lower your LDL-cholesterol levels without lowering your heart-protective HDL cholesterol levels. In fact, it may even help raise HDL levels. Sources of monounsaturated fatty acids include olive oil, peanut oil, peanuts, peanut butter, avocados, and sesame seeds. Recent studies indicate that almonds may lower LDL cholesterol levels and help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Another diet option involves reducing the total fat intake in a person's diet to 30% of daily calories and limiting the amount of saturated fat in a person's diet to 10% of daily calories. Dietary cholesterol intake is limited to less than 300 milligrams per day in the first phase of this standard nutritional approach. Fat calories and dietary cholesterol are limited even further in the second step of this diet. These diet phases work especially well for those who wish to reduce their weight along with their cholesterol; however, this diet may lower heart-healthy HDL along with LDL cholesterol.

Your healthcare provider can help you determine which diet strategy is best for you.