Can diet lower my cholesterol level?

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Changing from an unhealthy diet to a healthy diet can reduce a cholesterol level. However, dietary changes alone rarely lower a cholesterol level enough to change a person's risk of cardiovascular disease from a high risk category to a lower risk. However, any extra reduction in cholesterol due to diet will help. A healthy diet has other benefits too apart from reducing the level of cholesterol.

Briefly, a healthy diet means:

AT LEAST five portions, and ideally 7-9 portions, of a variety offruit and vegetables per day.
THE BULK OF MOST MEALS should be starch-based foods (such as cereals, wholegrain bread, potatoes, rice, pasta), plus fruit and vegetables.
NOT MUCH fatty food such as fatty meats, cheeses, full-cream milk, fried food, butter, etc. Use low fat, mono-, or poly-unsaturated spreads.
INCLUDE 2-3 portions of fish per week. At least one of which should be 'oily'.
If you eat meat it is best to eat lean meat, or poultry such as chicken.
If you do fry, choose a vegetable oil such as sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil.
Try not to add salt to food, limit foods that are salty such as processed foods.

In addition, foods that contain plant sterols or stanols can reduce blood cholesterol level. For example, a daily dose of about 2g of plant sterols or stanols can reduce LDL cholesterol by about 10%. Plant sterols and stanols are available in margarine spreads, yoghurts, milk drinks and other foods sold in stores. Food products containing plant sterols and stanols are generally designed to provide about one third of the recommended daily dose per meal. However, always read the labels and follow the manufacturer's advice about portion sizes. Recommendations from the Food Standards Agency include the following:

You should not not eat more than 3 g per day of plant sterols and stanols.
Pregnant women, breast-feeding women, and children under the age of five years should not eat foods with added plant sterols or stanols.
Foods with added plant sterols or stanols should be eaten as part of a balanced diet.