Foods that help lower your cholesterol level

Foods that help lower your cholesterol level

If your diet gave you high cholesterol, it can lower it, besides

It's gentle to eat your way to an alarmingly high cholesterol level. The opposite is true, too — changing what you eat can lower your cholesterol and improve the armada of fats floating through your bloodstream.

Managing this requires a two-pronged strategy: Add foods that lower LDL, the harmful cholesterol-carrying particle that contributes to artery-clogging atherosclerosis. At the same time, cut back on foods that boost LDL. Without that step, you are engaging in a holding action instead of a steady — and tasty — victory.

In with the good

Different foods lower cholesterol in various ways. Some deliver soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its predecessors in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they get into circulation. Some give you polyunsaturated fats, which directly lower LDL. And some contain plant sterols and stanols, which stop the body from absorbing cholesterol.

Oats. An easy first step to improving your cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It pays you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. AAdd a banana or some strawberries for another half-gramme.Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber. (The average American gets approximately half that amount.)

Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help bring down the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver.

Beans. Beans are particularly rich in soluble fiber. They also call for awhile for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal. That's one reason beans are a useful food for folks attempting to lose weigWith so many alternatives — from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond — and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.ood.

Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are just sources of soluble fiber.

Nuts. A bushel of studies indicates that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Eating 2 ounces of nuts a day can slightly lower LDL, along the order of 5%. Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways.

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 lower LDL.

Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits.These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.

Foods fortified with sterols and stanols.
Sterols and stanols extracted from plant gum up the body's power to absorb cholesterol from food. Companies are adding them to foods ranging from margarine and granola bars to orange juice and cocoa. They're as well available as supplements. Taking 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols a day can lower LDL cholesterol by about 10%.

Soy. Eating soybeans and foods prepared from them, like tofu and soy milk, was once touted as a powerful way to lower cholesterol. Analyses indicate that the effect is more modest — consuming 25 grams of soy protein a day (10 ounces of tofu or 2 1/2 cups of soy milk) can lower LDL by 5% to 6%.

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 delivering LDL-lowering omega-3 fats. Omega-3s reduce triglycerides in the blood stream and also protect the heart by helping prevent the onset of abnormal heart rhythms.

Fiber supplements. Supplements offer the least appealing way to get soluble fiber. Two teaspoons a day of psyllium, which is found in Metamucil and other mass-forming laxatives, provide about 4 grams of soluble fiber.

Out with the bad

Harmful LDL creeps upward and protective HDL drifts downward largely because of diet and other life style choices. Genes play a character, too — some people are genetically programmed to respond more readily to what they eat — but genes aren't something you can change. Here are four easy things you can do:

Saturated fats.

Typical sources of saturated fat include animal products, such as red meat, whole-fat dairy products, and eggs, and also a few vegetable oils, such as palm oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter. Saturated fat can increase your levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol. Merely it has some benefits, too — it lowers triglycerides and nudges up levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.

The role of saturated fat in heart disease is presently under debate. For today, it's best to limit your intake of saturated-fat-rich foods.

Trans fats. The right amount of trans fats is zero! Trans fats are a byproduct of the chemical reaction that turns liquid vegetable oil into solid margarine or shortening and that prevents liquid vegetable oils from becoming rancid. These fatty tissues have no nutritional value — and we know for certain they are bad for heart health. Trans fats increase LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels while cutting levels of HDL cholesterol.

Lately, the FDA banned trans fats from the U.S. food supply. The phasing-out procedure is expected to take three yearsThe encouraging news is that many major food providers and restaurants have already substituted healthier fats for trans fats.s.

Weight and exercise. Being overweight and not exercising affect fats circulating in the blood stream. Excess weight boosts harmful LDL, while inactivity depresses protective HDL. Losing weight if needed and exercising more reverse these tendencies.

Putting it all together

When it comes to investing money, experts recommend creating a portfolio of diverse investments instead of placing all your eggs in one basket. The like holds true for eating your way to lower cholesterol. Adding several foods that fight high cholesterol in different ways should go better than focusing on one or two.

A A mostly vegetarian "dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods" substantially lowered LDL, triglycerides, and blood pressure.The key dietary components are plenty of fruits and veggies, whole grains instead of highly refined ones, and protein mostly from plants.AddAdd margarine enriched with plant sterols; oats, barley, psyllium, okra, and garden egg, all rich in soluble fiber; soy protein; and whole almondsOf path, shifting to a cholesterol-lowering diet takes more attention than popping a daily situation.It means extending 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 obviates the risk of muscle problems and other side effects that plague some people who take statins.

Just as important, a diet that is heavy on fruits, veggies, beans, and nuts is good for the body in ways beyond lowering cholesterol. It keeps blood pressure in check. It helps arteries stay flexible and reactive. ItIt's beneficial for bones and digestive health, for vision and mental health.