Talk to a dietician, dairy is far from the only source of cholesterol. You’ll need to write down a detailed food-diary and log every meal, snack, beverage etc. to receive an informed answer.

Low-fat cheese is horrible, tbh. It’s like eating slices of vinyl eraser, and does not spark cheese-joy. Cardio-risk-wise it’s like getting healthy by smoking half-length cigarettes: everybody loses.

There’s no good alternatives that fill every niche, but humnmus is a damn good start. It’s got (good) fat and protein and it’s salty and umami, and feels like you’ve actually eaten something.

I echo the other commenter and recommend speaking with a “registered dietician” (RD degree) about your personal nutrition goals.

Calories in/out, physical activity levels, and genetics are three of the biggest factors with blood cholesterol levels. Would you overall eat fewer calories if you switched to low fat dairy? Maybe then it’s a decent strategy for you.

Harvard’s Nutrition Source is a great educational resource about nutrition that is science based and uses accessible language.

There are some alternatives to cheese that are pretty good. I’m an omnivore but my wife has convinced me that there are some good vegetarian options out there. Might be worth exploring if the low-fat cheese isn’t palatable.

• Cashew cream on enchiladas is fantastic
• the fake shredded cheese made out of almond isn’t so bad. We use it on salads, chili, etc. It’s expensive though.
• TVP gives things that umami flavor, good in chili, but it more so acts like ground beef. Don’t put too much in.
• Blended tofu with nutritional yeast acts as a very good ricotta substitute (coincidentally tofu also makes for a very good chocolate pie)

With this, and trimming down my meat consumption to just a few times a week, as well as a little exercise, I’ve kept my LDL numbers below my late 20s highs, which were borderline - I’m nearing two decades older now.

Tbh nothing lowered it for me until they put me on a statin. Genetics are a bitch. But maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough diet-wise? I don’t know.

A short history of saturated fat: the making and unmaking of a scientific consensus

However the rediscovery of rigorous clinical trials testing this hypothesis and the subsequent publication of multiple review papers on these data have provided a new awareness of the fundamental inadequacy of the evidence to support the idea that saturated fats cause heart disease.

From my reading on my own health journey: exercise, stress, and insulin sensitivity are the paramount factors in heart health.

They replace fat with carbs so there’s that. I had a very bad experience with low fat subs.

I went vegan and had no change in my cholesterol. I have never had a diet that was high in fat, so that didn’t surprise me. My doctor told me I need to give up alcohol for any change to occur. There’s definitely a genetic component as well, my dad and his dad seriously struggled with their cholesterol levels.

I had to abstain from alcohol over the summer because I started a medication that is hard on the liver, and I just had a lipid panel today. So I’ll find out early next week if my doctor was right lol

It may not. I’d look into other spreads than cheese, like a nut butter.

I wish Australian food nutrition labels had cholesterol on them because most don’t and its only if the manufacturer decides to put it on

Nah. They replace it with pure evil. You gotta cut the numbers consumed and cherish your fatty treats.

Wondering if changing my regular dairy and cheese for low fat versions would be enough.

Probly not.

I started getting a lot of Vitamin D (midday sun in the summer, no sunscreen)

Then I did intermediate fasting. Only eting diner.