If your doctor has warned that you have elevated cholesterol in your blood, you might think that such considerations are beyond your control, much like your height, the color of your eyes, or the number of toes you have. The good news is that doctors say you are very much in the driver’s seat when it comes to cholesterol. Here are ways they recommend you fine-tune your eating to limit this artery-clogging stuff:

• Avoid high-fat cooking methods such as frying. Instead, lean on steaming, broiling, grilling, roasting, poaching, and baking. Let fat drain away before you eat.
• Fats are high in calories, so a good food-selection tactic is to monitor the nutrition labels on food that you buy. In general, you will be able to pare a lot of cholesterol-boosting fat from your diet simply by avoiding high-calorie foods.
• Foods that are good sources of fiber will lower your cholesterol. So favor whole grain breads, oatmeal, beans, fruits, vegetables, and brown rice.
• Antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E fight the buildup of plaque in your cardiovascular system, so load up on fruits like melon, oranges, and berries.
• If an item on your shopping list contains trans-fat (that’s the case with many snack foods and margarines), just don’t buy it.
• Instead of red meat, stick with chicken or turkey. Trim away any fat on your meat before you cook.
• Eat fish, a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, which lower “bad” LDL cholesterol.
• Switch to skim milk and cheese.

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Sources:

http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/lifestyle.html