Foods To Lower Cholesterol

Ways To Lower Cholesterol

If you want a proven method to reduce the number of cholesterol in your diet, you must choose to eat the right kind of food. Below we will look at ways to lower cholesterol starting with a list of recommended foods to lower cholesterol levels and a discussion on how it can benefit your heart.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Fish

The benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in reducing levels of cholesterol has long been known. Specifically, such fatty acids contribute to the reduction of your blood pressure and also protects from the risks of possible blood clots. For those who are already suffering from heart diseases, increasing their intake of fatty acids are often recommended by the doctor. One of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids is fish oil.

Preferably, you must take at least 2 servings of fish on a weekly basis. This will ensure that you have enough amount of fatty acids in your body. Among the type of fish that has been recognized to contain high amounts of fatty acids are mackerel, tuna, salmon, lake trout, sardines, among others.

Oatmeal and Oat Bran

Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber, which has been known to have beneficial effects on the body such as lowering the amounts of LDL or bad cholesterol. Aside from oatmeal, you can also get soluble fiber from other food sources including apples, kidney beans, pears, prunes, barley, etc. Once you have increased the amount of soluble fiber in your body, it reduces your intestines' ability to absorb cholesterol.

The suggested amount of serving for oatmeal to provide sufficient amount of soluble fiber in your body is at least ten grams a day. You may also add a serving of fruit (such as banana) to your serving of oatmeal for a meal so you can enhance the amount of soluble fiber intake.

Almonds, Walnuts, etc.

Walnuts is another food source that has been revealed to effectively reduce levels of cholesterol. This is because walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is responsible for maintaining the health and elasticity of your blood vessels. The same applies with almonds, which are capable of producing the same benefits to your body.

If you regularly intake walnuts as your major source of calories, then it can reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in your body by as much as 12 percent. But beware of eating too much since some nuts can have concentrated amounts of calories. In any healthy diet pattern, you need to focus on eating a healthy and balanced diet.

Olive Oil

The effect that olive oil has in reducing cholesterol has been recognized by the FDA. In fact, a 23-gram or 2-tablespoon serving of olive oil is recommended each day. To ensure that you meet the recommended dosage of olive oil in your diet each day, you can use it to saute your vegetables instead of some other types of cooking oil. Olive oil is now commonly used as a substitute for creating salad dressing because of its healthy effect on your heart.

As with any other diet, a low cholesterol diet requires your attention to maintain a balance in all of the components of your diet. This will help ensure that you meet all of your nutritional requirements while keeping your cholesterol level in check.

You need to find ways to lower cholesterol and you can start here now that you have found some foods to lower cholesterol levels for good.

Good Luck!

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