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Changing the foods you eat can lower your cholesterol and improve the armada of fats that float through your bloodstream. Adding foods that lower LDL, the harmful cholesterol-carrying particle that contributes to artery-clogging atherosclerosis, is the best way to achieve a low cholesterol diet.
Diet To Lower Ldl Cholesterol
Different foods lower cholesterol in different ways. Some provide soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they enter circulation. Some give you polyunsaturated fats, which directly lower LDL. And some contain plant sterols and stanols, which prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol.
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1. Oats. An easy first step to lowering your cholesterol is to eat a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. This gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or a few strawberries for another half gram. Current nutritional guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber. (The average American gets about half that amount.)
2. Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, primarily through the soluble fiber they provide.
3. Beans. Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. It also takes a while for the body to digest, which means you feel full longer after a meal. This is one of the reasons why beans are a useful food for people trying to lose weight. With so many choices—from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and more—and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.
5. Nuts. A handful of studies show that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts and other nuts is good for the heart. Eating 2 ounces of nuts a day can lower LDL slightly, on the order of 5%. Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways.
Foods That Lower Cholesterol
6. Vegetable oils. Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower and others in place of butter, lard or shortening when cooking or at the table helps to lower LDL.
7. Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.
8. Foods fortified with sterols and stanols. Sterols and stanols extracted from plants strengthen the body’s ability to absorb cholesterol from food. Companies add it to foods ranging from margarine and granola bars to orange juice and chocolate. They are also available as supplements. Getting 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols per day can lower LDL cholesterol by about 10%.
9. Soy. Eating soybeans and foods made from them, such as tofu and soy milk, was once touted as a powerful way to lower cholesterol. Analyzes show that the effect is more modest – consuming 25 grams of soy protein per day (10 ounces of tofu or 2 1/2 cups of soy milk) can lower LDL by 5% to 6%.
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10. Fatty fish. Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL in two ways: by replacing meat, which has LDL-boosting saturated fats, and by providing LDL-lowering omega-3 fats. Omega-3s reduce triglycerides in the bloodstream and also protect the heart by helping to prevent the onset of abnormal heart rhythms.
11. Fiber supplements. Supplements offer the least attractive way to get soluble fiber. Two teaspoons a day of psyllium, which is found in Metamucil and other bulk-forming laxatives, provides about 4 grams of soluble fiber.
As for investing money, experts recommend creating a portfolio of diverse investments instead of putting all your eggs in one basket. The same goes for eating your way to lower cholesterol. Adding several foods in different ways to lower cholesterol should work better than focusing on one or two.
A largely vegetarian “dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods” significantly lowers LDL, triglycerides and blood pressure. The most important dietary components are lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains instead of highly refined, and proteins mostly from plants. Add margarine enriched with plant sterols; oats, barley, psyllium, okra and eggplant, all rich in soluble fiber; soy protein; and whole almonds.
Best Foods That Help Lower Cholesterol
Of course, switching to a cholesterol-lowering diet takes more attention than taking a daily statin. This means expanding the variety of foods you usually put in your shopping cart and getting used to new textures and flavors. But it’s a “natural” way to lower cholesterol, and it avoids the risk of muscle problems and other side effects that plague some people who take statins.
Just as important, a diet heavy on fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts is good for the body in ways other than lowering cholesterol. It keeps blood pressure in check. It helps arteries stay flexible and responsive. It is good for bones and digestive system, for vision and mental.
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Manage Your Cholesterol provides up-to-date information to help you or a loved one keep cholesterol in check. The report spells out what y and uny cholesterol levels are, and offers specific ways to keep cholesterol in line. It covers cholesterol testing and the genetics of cholesterol. The report also focuses on treatments based on the latest scientific evidence, including the pros and cons of statins and other medications, and provides the lowdown on other substances advertised to lower cholesterol. Managing your cholesterol can also help you work with your doctor to individualize your treatment.
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Cholestrol Types: Hdl (good), Ldl (bad) Cholesterol, Triglycerides
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Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss…from exercises to build a stronger core to advice on treating cataracts. PLUS, the latest news on medical advances and breakthroughs from Harvard Medical School experts. Cholesterol is often labeled as something very dangerous. But did you know that your body actually needs cholesterol and that it is not inherently bad?
Cholesterol is an integral component of healthy cells in your body. It is a waxy substance – known as a lipid – that travels through your body via your blood. Cholesterol helps form cell membranes that protect the contents of every cell in your body. It is also used in the production of bile which is critical for digestion. In addition, your body needs cholesterol to produce vitamin D as well as certain hormones.
Your liver produces the optimal amount of cholesterol your body needs for these functions. However, the food you eat also contributes to the production of cholesterol. This means that, depending on what you eat, there may be an excess of cholesterol in your body, and this may cause health problems. Keep reading to learn more about how the foods you eat affect cholesterol levels, the dangers of high cholesterol, and how to lower cholesterol through your diet.
Easy Food Swaps To Help Lower Cholesterol
As you know, your body produces all the cholesterol it needs. If you eat a diet rich in foods that also boost the production of cholesterol, you pose a threat to your health. Broadly speaking, meat, dairy and foods high in saturated and trans fats can cause high cholesterol levels.
When this happens, the amount of cholesterol moving through your bloodstream increases drastically. The cholesterol can form deposits on the walls of your arteries, restricting blood flow. Over time, this contributes to high blood pressure. In some cases, these deposits can break away from the walls of the arteries and form a clot, resulting in a heart attack or stroke.
Although high cholesterol can be hereditary, it is mostly poor lifestyle choices, heralded by a bad diet, that cause elevated cholesterol levels. Since it does not show prominent symptoms, the best way to catch high cholesterol is to get screened regularly. If you have it, the first step to lowering cholesterol is to manage your diet.
Eating a bowl of oatmeal or a chilled oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast is a simple first step to lowering your cholesterol. It provides 1-2 grams of soluble fiber. Add some banana or strawberries for an extra half gram.
