Your risk of heart disease increases if you have high levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, which is why maintaining your cholesterol levels is vital. Your diet plays a major role in this and adjusting your food habits can help tremendously. Thus, here are foods that you should eat and those that you should avoid if you already have high cholesterol.

Eat: Fatty fish
Fatty fish such as mackerel are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are known to increase the good cholesterol or HDL levels in the body, thereby lowering your risk of stroke. Add it to your diet by stewing or steaming it, instead of deep-frying.

Eat: Dark chocolate
Cocoa and dark chocolate contain flavonoids that have been found to decrease the level of LDL in the body while increasing HDL levels. Eating chocolate that has 75% to 85% cocoa is helpful, rather than reaching for milk or white chocolate.

Avoid: Trans fats
You should avoid consuming trans fats as they are bad for you and can worsen your high cholesterol. You can find these fats in food items such as crackers, margarine, cookie, frozen pizza, biscuits, cream-filled candy, and fried fast foods, among others.

Eat: Legumes
Legumes are plant-based protein and they can help lower the LDL cholesterol in your body. These include lentils and peas, which are rich in minerals, fiber, and protein, which are good for your health. Some research states that they can even lead to weight loss.

Eat: Fruits
For high cholesterol patients, it is important to eat citrus fruits, apples, strawberries, and grapes as they contain pectin, which is a type of soluble fiber. Fruits such as grapes and berries are great too.

Avoid: Salt
While you don’t need to avoid salt completely in a high cholesterol diet, you must eat salty foods rarely and not put too much salt in your meals. Look at the ingredient list to ensure the packaged food does not have too much sodium. Avoid canned foods, cured meats, and fast-food sandwiches.

Eat: Nuts
Nuts have been found to lower heart disease risk and decrease the risk of blood pressure. They contain various nutrients, including magnesium, calcium, potassium, L-arginine, and monounsaturated fats. You should aim to eat walnuts and almonds in particular.

Avoid: Sugar
Sugar can lead to a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. You want to limit how much sugar you consume daily. Don’t forget to count sugar in soft drinks. You want to be on the lookout for ingredients such as lactose, brown sugar, glucose, sucrose, and corn sweeteners.

Eat: Whole grains
Whole grains such as barley and oats can help lower your risk of heart disease. Barley helps to lower LDL levels in the body as it has beta-glucans. Oats also have the same fiber and help lower the bad cholesterol levels. Consuming whole-grains regularly is vital.

Eat: Avocados
Avocados are amongst the top foods for a high cholesterol diet. They contain fiber and monounsaturated fats, which are known for increasing HDL cholesterol and lowering LDL cholesterol.