All cholesterol lowering foods might not be good for you. While attempting to choose foods to lower your cholesterol you must have a ‘horses for courses’ approach. Let me explain.
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There are two different types of cholesterol. One is good for you. One is bad for you. If your good cholesterol is low and you are eating foods that lower bad cholesterol, it is not the best approach.
In the same way, if your bad cholesterol is high, and you are eating food that improves good cholesterol, you will not get the optimal results.

Of course, there is one food that increases good cholesterol and decreases bad cholesterol at the same time. I’ll get to that in a moment but first…
What is cholesterol? 
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in every cell of our body and is very essential for some of our bodily functions. Cholesterol is a natural product that is made in your liver. 
However, when your production of cholesterol outgrows your use of cholesterol, or if your intake of cholesterol, exceeds your body’s need, you end up with too much and this increases your risk for heart disease. However, not all cholesterol is bad, as you’ll soon see.
Types of cholesterol  
The thing is, cholesterol can’t dissolve in the blood. It must be transported through your bloodstream by carriers called lipoproteins – a combination of fat (lipid) and proteins. It is these carriers that help distinguish the different types of cholesterol. 
The two types of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol to and from cells are low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, and high-density lipoprotein, or HDL. And based on which lipoprotein carries the cholesterol, it is classified into LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.
LDL (Bad) Cholesterol 
LDL cholesterol is what gives cholesterol its bad name. LDL cholesterol helps in the formation of plaque – a thick, hard deposit that can clog arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. 
Atherosclerosis can happen in almost any artery. If a clot forms and blocks an artery in the heart or brain, it can result in a heart attack or stroke. Another condition called peripheral artery disease can develop when narrow arteries supplying blood flow to your limbs get obstructed by plaque deposits.
HDL (Good) Cholesterol 
HDL cholesterol is the nice guy in the cholesterol family as it helps remove LDL cholesterol from the arteries. Experts believe HDL acts as a scavenger, carrying LDL cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is broken down and passed out from the body. 
One-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol is carried by HDL. Not surprisingly, the higher the percentage of good cholesterol, the lower your risk of heart disease.
A healthy level of HDL cholesterol may also protect against heart attack and stroke, while low levels of HDL cholesterol have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease.
Foods that help decrease bad cholesterol
OATS: Changing you morning meal might be the simplest way to whittle down your LDL cholesterol (the bad kind). By taking two servings of oats, you can lower LDL by 5.3% in only six weeks. Oats contain beta-glucan, which plays a key role in removing LDL from the body and excreting it.
NUTS: A study shows that people lowered their total cholesterol by 5.4% and LDL cholesterol by 9.3% by taking 1.5 ounces of walnuts six days a week for one month. 
Details of the study can be gleaned from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. And just to make it easy for you, 1.5 ounces is about a shot glass and a half.
TEA: The world knows tea contains a lot of antioxidants to fight inflammation, and in some cases even fights cancer. Not many people know however, that tea is also a great defense against LDL cholesterol levels. According to research conducted with the USDA, black tea has been shown to reduce blood lipids by up to 10% in only three weeks.
BEANS: Researchers at Arizona State University Polytechnic found that adding ½ cup of beans to soup lowers total cholesterol, including LDL, by up to 8%. The fiber content in beans plays an important role in limiting the absorption of dietary cholesterol.
OLIVE OIL: This staple ingredient of the Mediterranean diet has found its way to the shelves of grocery stores world-wide. The reason? It is full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, which can help lower LDL cholesterol. Olive oil has the added benefit of helping keep your waistline where you want it to be.
Foods that help increase good cholesterol.
FATTY FISH: Fatty fish are loaded with omega-3s, which can help raise HDL levels. According to research from Loma Linda University, replacing saturated fats with omega-3s like those found in salmon, sardines, and herring can raise good cholesterol as much as 4%.
RED WINE: The Mayo Clinic suggests that red wine in moderation can reduce heart disease. The antioxidants in red wine increase the HDL levels to protect against artery damage.
CHOCOLATE: Chocolate is good for you. And even better for your arteries. In a 2007 study, participants showed a 24% increase in HDL levels after taking cocoa powder over a period of 12 weeks. In the same study, people in the control group showed just a 5% increase in HDL. The full details of the study are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Remember to choose the dark or bittersweet kind of chocolate.
Foods that help increase good cholesterol and decrease bad cholesterol.
AVOCADOS:  This vegetable/fruit is a great source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that may actually help raise HDL cholesterol while lowering LDL. 
And, more than any other fruit, this delectable food packs cholesterol-smashing beta-sitosterol, a beneficial plant-based fat that reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed from food. 
However, too much avocado can add to the waistline.
So as you can see, all cholesterol busting foods might not work well for you. Your first step is to determine (with the help of a blood test) whether you have a low HDL problem or a high LDL problem and then choose your foods wisely.
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