Cheese is a great source of protein and calcium but is often high in saturated fat and salt. This means eating too much could lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Cottage cheese: One cup of low-fat (1%) cottage cheese has 9mg of cholesterol and 1.5g of saturated fat. Low-fat mozzarella cheese: A one-ounce serving of the part-skim variety has 18 mg of cholesterol and less than 3 g of saturated fat.
While cheddar cheese and American cheese are the two most popular cheeses, they are also among the highest in cholesterol and saturated fat. Ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and fat-free cheeses are not as popular, but they are much healthier.
You don't have to cut cheese out of your diet, but if you have high cholesterol or blood pressure, use high-fat cheeses sparingly. A 30g portion of cheese provides seven per cent of your daily calories and there can be more salt in a portion of cheddar than in a packet of crisps.
Fill Up on Fiber
Foods like oatmeal, apples, prunes, and beans are high in soluble fiber, which keeps your body from absorbing cholesterol. Research shows that people who ate 5 to 10 more grams of it each day saw a drop in their LDL.
Heart Health
Greek yogurt has been connected to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can reduce your risk of heart disease. Cholesterol and triglycerides can harden or block your arteries over time, leading to heart disease or atherosclerosis.
1) Red Meat
Beef, lamb, and pork – these are high in saturated fats and contain more cholesterol. Swap these out for healthy proteins like beans, chicken, and fish.
The American Heart Association recently certified potatoes as a low-fat, low-cholesterol food, meaning that it may be safe to consume in moderation as part of a heart healthy diet.
The fiber and potassium in bananas can reduce the level of cholesterol and blood pressure. Banana is especially known as a good source of soluble fibre which will gives one a healthy body and good immune system. Grapes get into the bloodstream and carry all the bad cholesterol into the liver where it gets processed.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate cheese daily for six-week intervals had lower LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, than when they ate a comparable amount of butter.
Tomatoes are a significant source of a plant compound called lycopene, which reduces levels of LDL cholesterol. Research shows that the body absorbs more lycopene if the tomatoes are processed or cooked, so drink tomato juice and add tomatoes to your minestrone soup as well.
When the body is dehydrated, the blood becomes acidic which can lead to a build-up in LDL levels of cholesterol. Drinking plenty of water will keep your blood ways clean and eliminate the excess buildup of cholesterol waste from the body.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs usually produce a change in LDL within 6 to 8 weeks. It is possible for lifestyle changes to change cholesterol levels within weeks.
Simply put, dark chocolate increases your HDL cholesterol and decreases your LDL cholesterol. While it does contain some saturated fat, it also contains the same sort of unsaturated fat found in olive oil. a staple of the Mediterranean diet that is regarded as one of the healthiest in the world.
People with raised cholesterol often wonder if it's OK to eat eggs, as egg yolk is rich in cholesterol. Generally speaking, it should be fine for most people, as the cholesterol in eggs does not have a significant effect on blood cholesterol. It's much more important to limit the amount of saturated fat you eat.
While feta cheese provides you with an excellent source of nutrients like calcium and protein, it also contains high amounts of sodium and saturated fat. Feta is lower in fat than many other cheeses, however, and is considered a reasonable option to eat in moderation.