Is there such thing as an anti-cholesterol diet?

Any dietician will tell you that eating a balanced diet rich in mostly whole foods is a good way to begin to shift your cholesterol profile, especially if you reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet. But eating to reduce your “bad cholesterol levels” or LDL and to improve your “good cholesterol levels” or HDL requires a more targeted dietary commitment.
A new study found that people who ate diets that on most days included servings of soy foods like soybeans and tofu, as well as nuts, high fiber foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains and plant oils (certain spreads now contain thee cholesterol lowering oils) can help to lower LDL levels. In the six-month study, participants who followed this diet reduced their bad cholesterol levels by 14%. This diet beat dieters following standard low-fat dieters who were able to reduce their LDL levels by 8%.
So instead of simply popping a pill like a statin, ask your doctor if he is willing to work with you on creating a diet plan so you can first try to improve your cholesterol profile without taking medication. This may not be an option for everyone, but it’s certainly worth a discussion if you have just been diagnosed with mildly elevated levels of LDL. The diet may also help reduce the amount of statin medication you have to take.