High blood cholesterol leads to various health complications which can even take a fatal turn. The above fact is now known to almost all health conscious people. Medical researchers attribute the increase in number of people suffering from high blood cholesterol to our unhealthy diet and lifestyle. Our diet has a huge impact on our health, so it has become increasingly important to watch out the food that we eat.

There is a plethora of medications and diets available in the market for lowering the level of blood cholesterol. Medications to lower the blood cholesterol are the last resort and it has been observed that a small dietary change can do a world of good in lowering the level of blood cholesterol. So now we are going to have a look at the simple dietary changes that can lower the level of blood cholesterol.

The dietary changes that you need to bring are as follows:

a) Avoid foods that have a high fat content: Dietary fat includes both saturated and unsaturated fats. Both of these fats make up the total fat intake. So, the aim of your diet should be to reduce the total fat intake. This will help you in eating lesser saturated fat which is very harmful for the body (Saturated fats helps in increasing the blood cholesterol level). The lesser consumption of fat also helps in reducing your body weight which thus cutting the risks associated with being overweight. Do not eat animal fats like butter, whole milk, cheese etc as they are the sources of saturated fats. Try to consume lean meat portions by shredding extra fat that sticks to the body of the meat. Avoid oils that are manufactured though ‘hydrogenation' for e.g. coconut oil and cocoa butter. These oils contain trans fats which in turn raises the blood cholesterol level. Avoid the foods like candies, pastries, coffee creamers because they contain the above vegetable oils.

b) Eat foods that contain unsaturated fats: Use the oils manufactured from the seeds sesame, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean as they contain high amount of polyunsaturated fat which helps in lowering the cholesterol content of the blood. Include fish in your diet as they are high in polyunsaturated fats and does a lot of good to your body. Canola oil and Olive oil can also be used for salad dressing and cooking as they contain polyunsaturated fat.

c) Consume less high cholesterol foods: Consume foods that have less cholesterol content. Though dietary cholesterol is different from saturated fats but they are also responsible for increasing the level of blood cholesterol. Foods that are high in cholesterol are poultry, shellfish and fat laced meat portions from the organs like kidney, liver and brain. Substitute the former with green vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals and seeds do not contain cholesterol.

d) Eat foods that have are lo in GI: foods like Pasta, whole wheat bread, peas, vegetables are rich sources of starch and fiber. They are low in GI count and helps in reducing the body fat which in turn can pull down the cholesterol levels of the body.

If you make these simple changes in your diet then you can easily lower the level of your blood cholesterol and keep away dreaded heart diseases.