Lowering Cholesterol Diet

Today few foods are eaten in their natural form most have undergone processing which strips away the good nutrients leaving behind only remnants of what the original grains or fruits were.
 
Then food taste enhancers are added, sometimes saturated fats or trans fats, salt, and sugar to make the foods more palatable. The finished remanufactured product loses most of the full benefit of the grain and picks up a lot of cholesterol enhancing additives.
 
 The National Institutes of Health recommends that saturated fats make up less than 7 percent of the calories of a daily diet. Saturated fats and cholesterol are found in meats and dairy products. These fats are solid at room temperatures - for example butter or the fat on a piece of beef. 
 
Plants do not produce cholesterol only animals do, so to lower cholesterol and saturated fat intake, substitute vegetable or fruit products for animal products. For example: drink soy milk in place of dairy milk, and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats which are found in olive and vegetable oils in place of butter and shortening in recipes. Nuts also contain large amounts of heart-friendly fats and many minerals our bodies need. A handful of nuts a day is a heart-friendly snack. Especially in place of some other fatty, processed snacks such as potato chips.

The National Institutes of Health recommends that carbohydrates make up 50 to 60 percent of the daily-diet calories. These carbohydrates should come from fresh fruits and vegetables.  
 
Low Cholesterol Diet
A typical low cholesterol diet consists of more get-back-to-nature meals in small portions. For example a heart-healthy supper is a meal of fresh vegetables and a 4 ounce portion of meat or fish with a many-colored, garden salad with balsamic and olive oil dressing. 
 
Breakfast should consist of cereal that has not been processed too much (example - oat meal) and pulpy orange juice. 
 
A cup of plain, low-fat yogurt flavored with fresh fruit is a good low-cholesterol lunch.
 
For mid morning and mid afternoon snacks have a fresh apple or other fruit or a handful of peanuts or other nuts.
    
Become Label Savvy
Read the product labels and look for high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) makes things taste good, but will give you more fat to store, so try to limit any food products you eat with HFCS in them. 
 
Labels may list hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats. These are trans fats. These fats are found in off-the-shelf confections such as donuts, cookies, cupcakes etc. and potato chips and French fries. Trans fats and saturated fats are termed 'bad fats' and will increase your cholesterol levels. Limit their intake or eliminate them from your diet completely.