Fruits and Vegetables

• Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is good for your overall health as they are low in saturated fats and cholesterol. Filling up on low-fat and low-cholesterol foods such as fruits and vegetables leaves less room for poor dietary choices that can maintain or increase high cholesterol levels. Incorporate at least 8 to 10 servings of your favorite fruits and vegetables per day.
  
  

Soluble Fiber-rich Foods

• Soluble fiber lowers LDL levels by reducing its absorption in the intestines. Eat foods rich in soluble fiber such as oatmeal, prunes, barley, kidney beans, apples and pears. Flax seed is another source of soluble fiber that you may add to oatmeal, yogurts, cereals and other foods to incorporate sufficient soluble fiber into your diet.
  
  You will need to eat a minimum of 10 grams of soluble fiber daily to reduce LDL in the bloodstream. Consult the nutrition information of your desired soluble fiber sources to assure you are ingesting enough soluble fiber to lower your cholesterol.
  
  

Omega-3 Fatty Acid-rich Foods

• In addition to lowering cholesterol, omega-3 fatty acids reduce blood pressure and the risk of blood clots. Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, herring, anchovies, whitefish or sablefish are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Eat at least two servings of fatty fish per week. Steam, bake or grill the fish instead of frying it. This prevents the counterproductive addition of fat and cholesterol to your meal.
  
  Flax seed is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as soluble fiber. Incorporating flax seed to your diet can be doubly beneficial in this regard.
  
  

Plant Sterols and Stanols

• Foods containing plant sterols and stanols help block cholesterol absorption. Incorporate 2 grams of plant sterols daily to decrease your LDL levels by 10 percent or more. Have orange juice or sterol-fortified yogurt drinks handy to meet these requirements.