Foods and their effects on cholesterol

Reducing saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet is key to reducing your cholesterol. But there are also other adjustments that need to be made in your diet. The table below outlines important dietary elements and how they affect your total cholesterol level, your HDL ("good") cholesterol, and your LDL ("bad") cholesterol.

Effects of different foods and drinks on your cholesterol

Dietary element	Found in these foods	Effect on your cholesterol level
Alcohol*	Red wine White wine Hard liquor	Moderate consumption (0–1 glasses per day for a woman; 1–2 per day for a man) may improve your HDL. More than 2 drinks per day may raise triglyceride levels significantly in overweight people or those who have elevated triglyceride levels. Heavy drinking significantly increases risk of heart and liver damage, addiction, and other serious health problems.
Dietary cholesterol	Egg yolks Poultry, especially skin Red meat, especially organ meats Dairy products that are not low-fat (1%) or nonfat (skim) Shellfish	Raises total blood cholesterol May help saturated fat raise blood cholesterol Shrimp and crawfish have more cholesterol than fish but are still lower in total fat and saturated fat than most meats and poultry.
Dietary fiber (soluble)	Oats Dried beans (legumes) Peas Barley Citrus fruits Apples	Proven to reduce total cholesterol and LDL

* Doctors do not generally recommend drinking alcohol to raise your HDL cholesterol level, and you should not do so without first consulting your doctor.

Role of carbohydrates

There are two main sources of dietary carbohydrates:

• Simple sugars, such as sucrose (the sugar that is added to sweets and desserts), fructose (the sugar contained in fruit), and lactose (milk sugar)
• Complex carbohydrates, which come from vegetables and grains

Most of your carbohydrate calories should come from complex carbohydrates. Foods that contain complex carbohydrates, unlike those that contain refined sugars, contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber. You should also use complex carbohydrates to replace fat calories.