Not all cholesterol is bad for us. The food we eat if rich in cholesterol can increase our cholesterol levels as all the cholesterol required by us is made by our own liver. So anything you eat on top of that, will only add to higher unhealthy cholesterol levels. Knowing high cholesterol foods and avoiding them is crucial.

The general rule of thumb is all food from animals contain saturated fat (bad cholesterol) and food from plants are safe. You could drive away the bad cholesterol collected in your body by eating food rich in good cholesterol or also known as containing polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. Also called as the good fat.

All the tasty and tempting stuff like chips, cookies, cakes and like contain the bad fat including hydrogenated vegetable oils. Not to forget the salami, sausages, yummy chinese take aways, full fat yoghurt and other dairy products.

It is interesting to know that prawns, crab, sardines, liver, turkey, shrimp and veal are all loaded with bad cholesterol. So not all seafood is right. Further, also stay away from coconut oil, palm oil, animal kidneys, brains, duck and goose.

Other common food culprits which we love to indulge in are dim sims, meat mince, sour cream and coconut milk. Try and avoid the saturated fats. It is this bad fat and not the cholesterol that affects your health.

There are a lot of misconceptions about the cholesterol in the food around us. The recommended dietary intake of cholesterol is 300mg per day and reduces to 200mg if you suffer from high LDL levels.

You may want to avoid the fresh fruits, vegetables and wholegrains, but all these are excellent sources of good cholesterol. Another great source of polyunsaturated fat is fish, baked or pan fried.

So where is the healthy stuff? In soybean products, tofu, kidney beans, dried peas, garlic, spinach, tuna in water and fat free milk. Check the saturated and trans fat content on the packaging rather than the total fat content.

Snack away on cashews, peanuts, brazilnuts and almonds to feed your cravings, they help lower blood cholesterol levels. Go for lean meat, choose wholemeal bread and eat plenty of oily fish such as salmon. You deserve good health, do it for yourself and save your arteries.

Try and watch to include nuts, legumes and cereals in your diet. Eat more of rice, peas and switch to the good old olive oil for your cooking. Of course maintain your weight and live an active life.