Myth: Coconut oil is a heart-healthy cooking alternative. The reality: Coconut oil has been shown to raise cholesterol levels — the good and the bad kinds — more than other plant-based oils like olive or canola.
Heart-healthy oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, and sunflower oils contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Coconut oil and butter both affect your cholesterol levels. However, while coconut oil increases HDL or high-density lipoprotein, the good kind, butter, on the other hand, increases LDL or low-density lipoprotein, the bad kind.
Coconut oil is ideal for searing, sautéing, and, depending on the grade, even frying. (We really like using it to pop stovetop popcorn.) When it comes to baking, it's a better substitute for butter than liquid-at-room-temperature oils, like olive oil or canola oil, but nothing performs exactly like butter.
Avocados. Avocados are a potent source of nutrients as well as monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Research suggests that adding an avocado a day to a heart-healthy diet can help improve LDL cholesterol levels in people who are overweight or obese.
Olive oil is packed full of beneficial antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol while leaving your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched.
EVOO may increase HDL.
Olive oil is the only food known to independently increase HDL. Consumption of EVOO at a minimum of two tablespoons (25 ml) a day may increase HDL in as little as four days.
Side Effects of Coconut oil:
Consuming coconut oil increases the level of low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol. Due to the presence of saturated fatty acids, excess consumption can be unhealthy and can increase the risk of stroke and cardiac diseases.
Canola oil has zero cholesterol. High oleic canola oil has a high smoke point of 475 deg F, while refined canola oil's smoke point is 400. In blended vegetable oils, look out for "partially-hydrogenated" listed in the Nutrition Facts part of the label.
Limit foods high in saturated fat.
Saturated fats come from animal products (such as cheese, fatty meats, and dairy desserts) and tropical oils (such as palm oil). Foods that are higher in saturated fat may be high in cholesterol.
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).
Chicken eggs are an affordable source of protein and other nutrients. They're also naturally high in cholesterol. But the cholesterol in eggs doesn't seem to raise cholesterol levels the way some other foods, such as those high in trans fats and saturated fats, do.
People with high cholesterol should avoid any fish high in saturated fat and calories. Shrimps, trout, mackerel, tuna, and swordfish are some fishes you should avoid eating.
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.
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.