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Cholesterol is made by the liver, and it is distributed throughout the body through the blood stream. When more cholesterol is produced than the body can use, deposits can form along the arterial walls. This accumulation leads to cardiovascular disease.

While too much cholesterol is bad for you, and this should be noted when planning to review cholesterol lowering diet, it is still needed for essential purposes in your body. The key point to remember is that too much is a bad thing, not that all cholesterol is bad for you.

The American Hearth Association - in 2002 - recommended eating not less than two servings of fish a week. The reason is that fish is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids and proteines. Omega 3 fatty acids are known to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol, and increase HDL cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids have also been shown to lower the triglyceride levels. Fish is an essential part in any diet plan to lower high cholesterol.

Soluble fiber is known to be plentiful in oat bran and oatmeal. An advantage of soluble fiber is that it reduces LDL cholesterol, also called bad low density lipoprotein. Moreover, soluble fiber doesn't lower HDL cholesterol, which is also called good high density lipoprotein. Some have said that eating five to ten grams of soluble fiber per day can reduce LDL cholesterol by about 5%. Hence, any diet plan to lower high cholesterol must contain oatmeal and oat bran.

Nuts contain antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium, and also are rich in phytonutrients and fiber. Nuts are also high in plant sterols and fat - but it should be noted that it's mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which have all been shown to lower the bad LDL cholesterol.

The FDA wrote reviews of heart health diet in 1999 that declared that soy was highly beneficial to heart health. The FDA also had studies in 1999 that declared that soy was highly beneficial to reduce cholesterol. However, the large benefits of soy were then contested vigorously. As a result, the AHA Nutrition Committee does not recommend eating soy to reduce cholesterol anymore. Although soy is not in every diet plan to lower high cholesterol, some people say that it still can lower harmful LDL cholesterol by 3%.

Plant sterols, powerful compounds that block the absorption of cholesterol by the body, are found in plants. Some studies have reported a 10 to 15 percent decrease in LDL "bad" cholesterol. From this, the National Cholesterol Education Program recommends those with high cholesterol consume 2 grams of plant sterols per day.

Plant sterols are widely used and are often found in dressings, orange jiuce, margarine, functional cookies, etc. Sterol- fortified foods, by definition, contain 1 gram of plant sterols; it is imperative that the portion size and usage are noted from the labels along with other important details. Plant sterols cannot be consumed by everyone. In fact, AHA suggests that only those with high levels of LDL cholesterol consume plant sterols.