For one, your body can’t actually absorb most of the cholesterol from food. Your body also tightly regulates cholesterol by controlling internal production. In other words, if you eat less dietary cholesterol, your body will simply produce more and vice versa. This helps explain why, for about 75% of the population, dietary cholesterol won’t increase blood cholesterol. The remaining 25% are considered hyper-responders. For these hyper-responders, dietary cholesterol does tend to increase HDL and LDL but doesn’t affect their ratio or risk of heart disease.

Focus on quality, not quantity. Rather than counting grams of single nutrients, aim to eat a diet that’s rich in vegetables, healthy fats, and high-quality proteins. If you tolerate gluten-free grains or legumes, add those in, too, focusing on portion size. While no single food can immediately undo high levels of LDL or low levels of HDL cholesterol, a healthy, balanced diet will eventually lead to better levels over time. When you include fat on your plate, make sure you’re ditching processed vegetable oils and instead opting for things like: avocados, fatty fish rich in omega-3s, coconuts, olives, nuts & seeds.