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When your doctor says your cholesterol levels are too high, and you need to start eating more cholesterol free foods, here’s the main thing you have to remember.

Cholesterol in your diet comes from the fat in animal-based foods. It does not come from plants.

So, if eating only fruits, vegetables and nuts appeals to you, you probably will never have a cholesterol problem.

However….

That’s not going to work for most people, especially Americans who love their burgers, hot dogs and chicken wings, accompanied by french fries cooked in artery-clogging animal fats.

So does this mean you have to stop eating foods you love that are tasty but raise your cholesterol levels and pose a long range danger to heart health?

Not necessarily.

It’s true that in the real world, very few people have the discipline to put a lifetime of high cholesterol eating habits behind them.

The plan that works best appears to be a combination approach: smaller portions of high cholesterol foods, larger portions of cholesterol free foods.

Common, Easily Available Cholesterol Free Foods

Here are some of the cholesterol free foods you can use to replace the high cholesterol choices you usually pile on your plate. Incidentally, cholesterol free foods also help you lose weight in addition to reducing your risk of heart disease.

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes Food in these groups are cholesterol free. But remember that it’s possible to add cholesterol and fat during preparation. The best example is french fried potatoes or potato chips, which are loaded with fats that are bad for you.

Oat bran Oatmeal is one of the best foods you can eat. It’s not only cholesterol free, but it provides a lot of fiber, which is good for colon health. Besides eating it in cereal form with some fruit, you can also make it into pancakes.

Olive Oil and Canola Oil These are among the foods that have become known as “good cholesterol” sources because they actually help clear “bad cholesterol” (the type that sticks to your ateries) out of your bloodstream. Olive oil, of course, is often used on salads. Many restaurants serve it along with bread.

Beans There are dozens of different kinds of beans. Many of them (like garbanzo beans or chick peas) are not only cholesterol free, but are also high in protein.

Carrots Not many people know about this one, but a recent study disclosed that eating one raw carrot around breakfast time can bring down your total cholesterol count as much as 11 percent.

A Few Final Thoughts About Cholesterol Free Foods

Besides lowering your cholesterol levels and reducing your risk of heart disease, eating cholesterol free foods is a great way to lose weight. But there are some points about weight loss to remember.

Foods like pasta, rice, cereals and breads have a lot of starch in them. Although they contain little or no cholesterol (depending again on how they’re prepared), they contain carbohydrates. As you probably know, a lot of “carbs” from such starchy foods will make you gain weight rather than losing it.

Similarly, many types of nuts contain no cholesterol, but are high in calories. When eaten in small portions, they help keep your cholesterol down. But if you eat a lot of them, you’re more likely to gain weight rather than lose it. Read labels carefully when buying them.

A great alternative to high cholesterol meats and animal based foods is anything that contains an essential fatty acid known as omega 3. Fish like salmon, mackerel, and tuna are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, and are relatively low in calories.