11 Foods To Lower Cholesterol

To keep healthy, we should also know which foods shall we take in order to lower our cholesterol level. Let's look at these...

1. Oatmeal

Oatmeal and oat bran cereals are excellent soluble fiber rich foods.  Eat one cup of cooked oatmeal mixed with banana in the breakfast every day. Oatmeal is a scavenger of bad cholesterol.  Eat it regularly and keep your heart happy.

2. Nuts

Eating nuts is another way to reduce cholesterol.  All nuts contain fatty acids so you need to be careful in selecting nuts.  Nuts rich in polyunsaturated fatty acid help reduce cholesterol and keep blood vessels healthy. Walnuts and Almonds are great source of polyunsaturated fatty acid.

Other nuts such as hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans and pine nuts are also good. All fats are not bad. In fact research around the world has proved benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.

3. Fishes

Many kinds of fishes such as Albacore tuna, Lake trout, Herring, Sardines, Salmon, Mackerel and Halibut contain high amount of omega-3 fatty acids.  American Heart Association recommends at least 2 servings of fish per week.

4. Flax seeds

If you are a vegetarian and don't eat fishes..  There are many very powerful vegetarian sources of omega-3. The most popular ones are flax seeds and canola oil. 

You can sprinkle freshly ground flax seeds on your breakfast and other meals to consume it. You can add to your salads in the powder form to reduce cholesterol. Do not grind the flax seeds and keep as the powder loses the potency of Omega-3 due to oxidation. Always prepare fresh ground powder of flax seeds to consume.

5. Beans

Beans have abandoned soluble fiber. This keeps your heart healthy as well as reduce cholesterol. Various studies done on beans have found that it reduces total cholesterol as well as LDL. 

6. Fruits and vegetables

Most fruits and vegetables contain molecules called sterols and stanols. These molecules are heart healthy. Eat all kinds of fruits and vegetables to get different healthy nutrients.  Use different colored fruits and vegetables including carrots, tomatoes, strawberries,  leafy greens, yellow squashes, plums, blueberries. Dark colored food items are more healthy. 

7. Avocado

Avocados are a complete meal. This is the perhaps only fruit that contains fat in addition to other nutrients. It has many compounds that lower cholesterol. The fat itself is one because it is Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs).

8. Garlic

Garlic is multifunctional health herb. It not only protects against infections but also helps to reduce blood pressure, prevents blood clots and lowers cholesterol. Latest research have found that it stops the cholesterol from sticking to the walls of arteries in early stages of plaque built-up. So eat garlic in any form. Put it in your food, add to your teas or eat raw. In fact eating raw cloves gives the best effect in lowering cholesterol and reducing artery clogging plaque. You can eat 2-4 cloves daily.

9. Olive oil

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) present in the olive oil is a heart healthy fat. It lowers LDL. In addition it has been found to reduce belly fat. So it not only makes you healthier but also makes you look good. Use olive oil to dress your salads daily. 

10. Chocolate

A very significant 24% increase in HDL was observed in the people who took cocoa powder for 12 weeks according a study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This is because of the powerful antioxidants in chocolate. Eat dark chocolate and avoid milk chocolates to increase your HDL and improve good cholesterol in the overall cholesterol count.

11. Tea

While tea has become well known for its cancer-fighting antioxidants, it is also a great defense against high LDL cholesterol levels. According to research conducted with the USDA, black tea has been shown to reduce blood lipids by up to 10% in only 3 weeks. These findings were concluded in a larger study of how tea may also help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. (Here's how to make the perfect cup of tea every time.) 

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** useful information to lower cholesterol...