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Are there any foods to lower cholesterol? In fact, one of common treatments to reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) is dietary approaches. So, it is certainly possible to reduce the level of your cholesterol by considering what you should eat and what you should avoid! The big question, what are foods you should choose for your dietary changes?
You might also like to read about cholesterol levels in women and men, cholesterol lowering supplements, and risk factors of high cholesterol, before continuing!
You might also like to read about cholesterol levels in women and men, cholesterol lowering supplements, and risk factors of high cholesterol, before continuing!
Limiting the amount of fats (unhealthy fats) is common recommendation to lower LDL (bad cholesterol), but you should also remember that the point is not only about subtraction! Adding some healthy foods to the diet like foods fortified with stanols & sterols, fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, or oatmeal will be helpful to make your diet work more effective on getting your goal!
The following are some facts about foods to lower cholesterol that you should know!
Stanols & sterols
Both stanols and sterols can be found in very small amounts of some plants. Some studies found that they can help reduce cholesterol in the body. They can help block the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines.
People who eat orange juice or spreads (some foods that contain stanols and sterols) twice a day may have deflation of their LDL by about 5-7 percent -- according to the American Heart Association! Therefore, it is recommended to take 2 grams of stanols & sterols every day for individuals with high cholesterol. Talk with your healthcare provider for more in-depth information!
But for people with normal levels of cholesterol, there is no significant benefit of taking stanols and sterols!
Oatmeal & oat bran
Another choice that can be good option for your diet to lower your cholesterol is oatmeal and oat bran! They have a high content of soluble fiber, that’s why many experts recommend them to reduce LDL. If compared with whole grain -- oats still have higher amounts of soluble fiber!
For your intestines, soluble fiber can be like a helpful gel to stick the cholesterols and then prevents them from being absorbed in the intestines.
There is about 4 grams of fiber for a cup of oatmeal. Oatmeal is popular for breakfast, but it also can be sprinkled onto other foods so thus you can consume it throughout the day!
Note: Make sure you also reduce the intake of saturated fat! You should not add a cup of cream to oatmeal, because this means you will get your fiber with saturated fat. As a result, the effectiveness of oatmeal to help your cholesterol levels will be useless!
Fatty fish
Herring, trout, tuna, sardines, and salmon are fatty fish. Some studies found that they can reduce triglycerides (one of cholesterol types). Higher levels of triglycerides are also not good for your health! Triglycerides are usually a kind of cholesterol from excess sugar, alcohol, and calories (from foods that you eat). People with high triglycerides have higher risk of heart disease!
Fatty fish also can help increase the levels of your HLD (good cholesterol). HDL can give a positive contribution to rid of LDL! Higher HDL is better for health. And lower HDL is bad for your health and can increase your risk of heart disease!
However you should not eat fatty fish too over, because they are also fatty -- which means can increase your weight if you eat them too much! Furthermore, the effectiveness of fatty fish to lower cholesterol is also dependent on how we prepare the fish! -- Read also about best fish oil supplements!
Olive oil
The level of fat in olive oil is high, but the type of fat in the olive oil is different. It is monounsaturated fat, which seems to help reduce LDL without affecting your HDL! Moreover, olive oil is also high in antioxidant and vitamin E.
But you should always remember that though olive oil is good to control your cholesterol level, but it is also high in calories -- too much can cause weight gain! The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) gives advice to use 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day as a substitution for less healthy oils.
Nuts
Consuming 1.5 ounces of nut a day may help to reduce your risk of heart disease -- according to the FDA! Nuts are high in DHA & EHA (substances that can be converted to be Omega-3 fatty acids). Therefore, many experts believe that nuts (like pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc) can be one of good options to lower cholesterol.
What else you need to know?
Dietary approaches are one of options! You need also to consider other factors that can support your body to lower cholesterol, like doing regular exercise. Once again, though these foods are claimed as ‘foods to lower cholesterol’ but they also contain calories -- so, make sure all you eat in moderation! Work with your healthcare provider or your doctor to keep safe and for better result.
