Cholesterol Reducing Foods

Lower your cholesterol levels starting with your diet and choose the healthiest foods to lower your risk of heart disease.

Cholesterol reducing foods are a must in case your cholesterol number is too big, as they can lower it and therefore protect your heart from getting all kinds of undesirable affections.

Although there are multiple foods that are recommended to be consumed when your cholesterol level is too high, five of them are the most important, as they offer the best results. Below, you can find a list of these foods that if are cooked in the right way, can transform you into a healthier person in no time. The cholesterol reducing foods list starts with high-fiber foods, oat bran and oatmeal.

The latter is known to contain soluble fiber that is able to reduce the LDL cholesterol, also known as the bad cholesterol. This type of fiber can also be found in apples, prunes, kidney beans, barley and pears. The way the fiber in these foods works is by reducing the total absorption of cholesterol in your bloodstream.

For instance, if you consume between 5 and 10 grams of such fiber per day, your LDL can be significantly decreased. From one cup and a half of cooked oatmeal, you can get 6 fiber grams. One banana will get you another 4 grams.

On the other hand, omega 3 fatty acids and fish can reduce bad cholesterol, also. Fish is very high in omega 3 fatty acids and this is why it is widely recommended for the prevention of blood clots.

The richest omega 3 fatty acids fish are halibut, mackerel, salmon, lake trout, albacore tuna, herring and sardines. The recommended way of cooking it is to grill or bake it. However, if you are not crazy about fish, you should know that you can get the same fatty acids from canola oil and ground flaxseed, too.

Other foods that lower cholesterol are represented by nuts, such as almonds and walnuts. This is because they are rich in what is known as polyunsaturated fatty acids that have the property of maintaining the blood vessels healthy.

Among the nuts that you can try in order to lower your cholesterol level are pistachio nuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts and pecans. However, you should not exaggerate with their consumption, as about 40 grams a day is enough.

Olive oil is another great ingredient you can add to your food in order to lower your cholesterol level. This type of oil is rich in antioxidants that have the ability of lowering LDL, but at the same time leave your good cholesterol untouched. Two tablespoons of this oil a day can get you the necessary dose. Olive oil can easily be added in salad dressings, instead of butter for cooking foods, as a bread dip, and so on.

Finally, foods that have added plant sterols in them can also be beneficial for you, as they can reduce cholesterol by even 10%. Among them there are yogurt drinks and orange juices. By drinking about 250 milliliters of these drinks per day, your cholesterol can drop significantly and you can become a healthier person.