Healthy Food that Lowers Cholesterol
♥ Monounsaturated fats (good fats) in particular can help reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol levels. Find it in avocados, peanut butter and nuts like hazelnuts, almonds and pecans and vegetable oils such as olive, canola and peanut. Don't go overboard, even healthy fats are high in calories. For example, a handful of nuts or 2 tablespoons of olive oil is all you need.- Julhie Bhatia
♥ Omega-3s can protect your heart and may improve your blood cholesterol profile. Find them in fatty fish (mackerel, herring, sardines and salmon),soy foods (tofu, walnuts, flaxseeds) and fish oil. Be sure to bake or grill the fish, not fry it. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish (especially the fatty kind) at least two times a week.
♥ Soluble fibre lowers "bad" LDL cholesterol, by preventing cholesterol from being absorbed into the bloodstream. You need at least 3 grams of soluble fiber a day to reduce your heart disease risk (1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal will give you up to 6 grams). Find it in oatmeal, rolled oats or oat bran and grains such as barley, psyllium and rice bran.
Not into the whole oats and grans thing? Beans, lentils and peas is your alternative! One study found that eating half a cup of cooked dry pinto beans daily for 12 weeks lowered total cholesterol by about 8 percent. The best part? Bean-based meals are a protein-rich great substitute for high-saturated fat, cholesterol-heavy meats.
You can also take fruits such as apples, pears, oranges and grapefruit.
♥ Sterols and stanols (substances naturally found in many plant foods) help block the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. You can find them in margarine, orange juice and yogurt drinks. If you want your LDL (bad) cholesterol drop by about 5 to 15 percent, you need to eat at least 2 grams of these substances a day or drink two 8 ounce glasses of fortified orange juice a day.
♥ Fruits such as blueberries, cranberries and grapes may also reduce cholesterol, perhaps, because they're high in heart-healthy antioxidants.
♥ Moderate drinking has been linked with higher levels of "good" HDL cholesterol, though whether certain beverages, like antioxidant-rich red wine, have additional heart benefits hasn’t been established. Any alcoholic beverage will work.
Do you know that one of the benefits of having pets is that they help lower our cholesterol too?
Shine on,
Del
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