Limiting the intake of harmful fats such as trans fats and saturated fats are a crucial part of any lower cholesterol diet. Even though more than 75% of the overall cholesterol is produced by the body (blood cholesterol), and the rest 25% of your overall cholesterol comes from the food that you eat (dietary cholesterol), adopting a low cholesterol diet which is also low in fat and strictly limited in trans fats is still highly important for the success of your lowering cholesterol plan.

Trans fats or trans fatty acids also called hydrogenated oils are changed molecular oils (hydrogenation keeps oils and fats from going rancid). The vegetable oils go through a hydrogenation process in which they are heated, what makes them solid in room temperature. This is why the more solid a food is, like margarine, the higher the level of trans fatty acids it contains. (Soft margarines contain less hydrogenated oils than the more solid ones). The result of the hydrogenation process is a twisted fatty acid, unrecognized by your body and as such acts as pure poison.

Besides being toxic to your system, trans fats also significantly increase overall blood cholesterol, they raise the LDL cholesterol (low density lipoprotein) also known as the bad cholesterol for its tendency to stick to artery walls, build up into hard plaque and promote atherosclerosis, heart disease and strokes. On top of that trans fats lower the HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol responsible for clearing the arteries from excess LDL cholesterol.

Trans fats, once inside your system, can also create free radicals, can disrupt the electrical flow responsible for heartbeat, cell division, nerve functions and mental balance and also interfere with hormonal regulation.

Hydrogenated oils are found in most common junk foods, margarine, donuts, muffins, salad dressing, candy, cakes, soups, breads, fried foods, mayonnaise, hydrogenated and partly hydrogenated soybean oil, vegetable oils and in most processed foods.

Because trans fats promote the elevation of cholesterol even more than saturated fats, building a low cholesterol diet should focus on low fat food in general and on avoiding foods containing trans fats in particular. Limiting or completely eliminating trans fats and saturated fats from your diet can by itself dramatically lower your cholesterol levels.