A high cholesterol diet can increase blood cholesterol. Making dietary changes can help reduce or control cholesterol levels. A diet for people with high cholesterol focuses on plant-based products -- such as vegetables and legumes -- while cutting back on animal-based products. This low-cholesterol diet should also contain less than 2,400 mg of salt per day, less than 200 mg of dietary cholesterol per day, and a total fat intake of 25 to 35 percent of the day's total calories, among other things. Two important things to keep in mind when moving from a high cholesterol diet to a healthier eating plan are that cholesterol is found only in animal-based foods (such as meats and dairy products) and that certain fats have also been shown to increase cholesterol, regardless of whether they came from an animal. While changing from a high cholesterol diet to a healthier eating plan is not always easy, it can offer many health benefits.