Nutrition Diet: What is the number one habit to break to lower cholesterol?

October 24, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the American Heart Association, a high intake of saturated fats can significantly increase your levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol. To tackle this, understanding what is the number one habit to break to lower cholesterol is crucial for long-term heart health. The answer lies in fundamentally changing your relationship with unhealthy fats found in many processed and animal-based products.

Quick Summary

The single most effective dietary change for lowering cholesterol is to eliminate or drastically reduce the intake of saturated and trans fats. This article explains how these unhealthy fats raise 'bad' LDL cholesterol and details the benefits of replacing them with healthier unsaturated fats for better heart health.

Key Points

Reduce Saturated and Trans Fats: The most critical dietary habit to break for lowering cholesterol is to minimize your intake of saturated and eliminate trans fats found in processed and fried foods.
Embrace Unsaturated Fats: Replace unhealthy fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from sources like olive oil, nuts, and fish, which actively help lower bad LDL cholesterol.
Increase Soluble Fiber: Boost your intake of soluble fiber from foods like oats, beans, and lentils. This fiber binds to and removes excess cholesterol from the body.
Focus on Healthy Fats over Dietary Cholesterol: For most individuals, the amount of saturated and trans fat is more influential than dietary cholesterol from sources like eggs.
Incorporate Regular Exercise: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, which helps increase 'good' HDL cholesterol and lower LDL.
Manage Your Weight: Maintaining a healthy body weight, particularly reducing excess belly fat, can improve your overall cholesterol profile.

Breaking the #1 Habit: Cutting Saturated and Trans Fats

When it comes to managing high cholesterol, experts agree that the most impactful dietary change is to drastically reduce your intake of unhealthy fats. Specifically, this means cutting back on saturated and, wherever possible, eliminating trans fats from your diet. While other factors like exercise and fiber are also important, the type of fat you consume has the most direct influence on your body's cholesterol levels.

The Impact of Saturated Fats

Saturated fats, which are typically solid at room temperature, are found predominantly in animal products and some plant-based oils. These fats instruct your liver to produce more artery-clogging LDL ('bad') cholesterol by impairing the function of LDL receptors on liver cells, which are responsible for removing cholesterol from the bloodstream. Common sources to reduce include:

Fatty red and processed meats, such as sausages, bacon, and cured deli meats.
Full-fat dairy products, including cheese, butter, and cream.
Tropical oils like coconut oil and palm oil, often used in packaged snacks.
Many commercially baked goods, such as cakes and biscuits.

The Dangers of Trans Fats

Even more detrimental than saturated fat, artificial trans fats are created through a process called hydrogenation and have no known health benefits. Trans fats not only increase 'bad' LDL cholesterol but also decrease 'good' HDL cholesterol, creating a double-negative effect on heart health. Fortunately, regulators have banned the use of partially hydrogenated oils in many countries, but some foods may still contain small amounts.

Sources of Trans Fats to Avoid:

Packaged baked goods, including crackers, cookies, and pastries.
Fried fast food, particularly those fried in partially hydrogenated oils.
Stick margarines and vegetable shortenings, unless explicitly labeled as trans fat-free.
Some microwave popcorn.

Replacing Bad Fats with Good Fats

Shifting your focus from what to avoid to what to include is a powerful strategy. Replacing saturated and trans fats with healthier unsaturated fats is key to improving your cholesterol profile. These fats are liquid at room temperature and include both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Foods rich in healthy fats include:

Monounsaturated Fats: Found in olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, avocados, and most nuts.
Polyunsaturated Fats: Rich in fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), walnuts, flax seeds, and sunflower oil.

The Role of Dietary Cholesterol

For most people, the cholesterol consumed directly from food has a far less significant impact on blood cholesterol levels than saturated and trans fat intake. The body naturally regulates its cholesterol production based on dietary intake. However, some individuals are genetically predisposed to being "hyper-responders," meaning their blood cholesterol is more sensitive to dietary intake. It is generally more effective to focus on the overall quality of your diet, emphasizing healthy fats and fiber over worrying excessively about dietary cholesterol.

Beyond Fats: Other Crucial Habits to Lower Cholesterol

While addressing fat intake is the number one priority, several other habits contribute significantly to improving your cholesterol numbers.

Embrace Soluble Fiber

Soluble fiber, found in foods like oats, beans, apples, and lentils, helps lower LDL cholesterol by binding to cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and removing them from the body before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream. A high-fiber diet also has the added benefit of promoting weight management and better overall digestive health.

Get Moving with Regular Exercise

Regular physical activity is a cornerstone of heart health. Moderate aerobic exercise, like brisk walking or cycling, can help increase levels of 'good' HDL cholesterol while also lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol. Consistency is key; aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, and remember that even short bursts of activity can make a difference. The American Heart Association provides excellent resources on exercise guidelines for a heart-healthy life.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Carrying excess weight, particularly around the middle, can negatively impact cholesterol levels. Losing even a small amount of weight can have a positive effect, helping to lower LDL and improve HDL. Combining a diet low in unhealthy fats and high in fiber with a consistent exercise routine is the most effective way to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

Unhealthy vs. Healthy Fats: A Comparison


Fat Type	Effect on Cholesterol	Common Sources to Limit	Healthier Alternatives
Saturated Fats	Increases 'bad' LDL cholesterol.	Fatty meats, butter, cream, coconut oil, baked goods.	Lean meats, poultry, fish, low-fat dairy.
Trans Fats	Increases 'bad' LDL and decreases 'good' HDL.	Partially hydrogenated oils, fried foods, processed snacks, some margarine.	Healthy liquid oils like olive and canola oil.
Monounsaturated Fats	Reduces 'bad' LDL while maintaining 'good' HDL.	Olive oil, avocado, almonds, peanuts.	Use in cooking, salad dressings, and as spreads.
Polyunsaturated Fats	Can significantly lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol.	Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), walnuts, flaxseed, sunflower oil.	Incorporate fish twice a week, use healthy oils, and snack on nuts and seeds.

Conclusion: Making the Lifestyle Shift

While there is no single 'magic bullet' for managing cholesterol, the single most powerful habit you can break to lower it is the consumption of saturated and trans fats. This change, when coupled with other heart-healthy behaviors, including consuming more soluble fiber and engaging in regular exercise, can lead to significant improvements in your cholesterol profile. Focusing on whole, unprocessed foods rich in unsaturated fats and fiber, rather than restrictive dieting, is the most sustainable and effective approach for long-term health and well-being. By making these thoughtful dietary shifts, you can take a major step toward protecting your heart and supporting a healthier life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature and found in animal products and some tropical oils. They increase 'bad' LDL cholesterol. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and are considered heart-healthy, as they can help lower LDL cholesterol when used to replace saturated fats.

Trans fats are exceptionally harmful because they have a dual negative effect: they increase 'bad' LDL cholesterol while simultaneously decreasing 'good' HDL cholesterol, significantly elevating the risk of heart disease.

Soluble fiber, found in foods like oats, beans, and apples, forms a gel-like substance that binds to cholesterol and bile acids in the digestive system. This prevents the cholesterol from being absorbed and instead flushes it out of the body.

Current research suggests that for most people, dietary cholesterol has a minimal effect on blood cholesterol levels compared to saturated and trans fats. The liver regulates its own cholesterol production, compensating for dietary intake. However, some individuals, known as 'hyper-responders,' may be more sensitive.

Exercise is a vital component of lowering cholesterol and is particularly effective at raising 'good' HDL cholesterol. While beneficial, it is most effective when combined with a heart-healthy diet that limits saturated and trans fats.

To reduce unhealthy fats, you can swap butter for olive oil or canola oil, use lean cuts of meat or plant-based protein instead of fatty processed meats, and choose low-fat dairy options over full-fat varieties.

Artificial trans fats are often listed on ingredient lists as 'partially hydrogenated oil'. Even if a product is labeled as having zero grams of trans fat per serving, it may still contain trace amounts, so checking the ingredient list is important.