Best Cholesterol Lowering Foods

Things to Remember

1. Avoid fried foods
2. Eat foods that boost your HDL
3. Fruits and vegetables are a must in your diet
4. Red wine is also known to reduce your LDL levels

Cholesterol is a fat that circulates in the body through our blood stream. It is a building material for body cells, and hence is essential for the body. But high cholesterol levels are very harmful as they can result in clogged arteries, which in turn, can result in heart disease or strokes.

There are two types of cholesterol -- HDL or the good cholesterol, and the LDL or the bad cholesterol. In order to remain healthy, we have to reduce LDL and increase HDL.

Diet and cholesterol
The most important thing for people with cholesterol problems is to keep away from junk food, fried foods, saturated fats.

There are some foods which reduce your bad cholesterol (LDL) and boost your good cholesterol. It has been proven that eating these foods can have a noteworthy effect on your cholesterol levels.

Here are six foods that will help you take care of your LDL levels:

1. Oats: Oats have been known to positively affect your cholesterol levels for a long time now. Oatmeal and oat bran are high fiber foods. They contain soluble fiber, which reduces your LDL, or bad cholesterol. Include oats in your daily diet as a good breakfast option. Replace the flour you use with oatmeal flour. These small changes will be largely beneficial to you.

2. Fruits: Fruits are recommended in all kinds of diets. The positives of fruits are many.

Apples are rich in fiber. Eating a couple of apples a day or drinking 2-3 glasses of fresh apple juice helps reduce your bad cholesterol. If taken regularly, apples are said to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Oranges, pears and grapefruit are also good for those watching their cholesterol, as they contain soluble fiber.

3. Foods Containing Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can reduce your blood pressure and the risk of developing blood clots. In patients who have already suffered heart attacks, they reduce the risk of sudden death.

Oily fishes like Sardines, Mackerel, Salmon, Herring, Lake trout are good sources. Just ensure that you opt for baked or curried fish rather than fried fish.

Vegetarians can get omega-3 fatty acids from foods like ground flax seeds or canola oil.

4. Beans and Lentils: Again good sources of fiber. Fiber is known to slow the rate and amount of absorption of cholesterol. These foods are also good sources of protein. They are safe and fat-free replacements for meat products as source of proteins.

5. Nuts: Nuts, like almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and peanuts are good for heart health. They contain fiber, vitamin E, and selenium. They give your heart the nutrition it needs. A handful of nuts every day can slightly lower your cholesterol.

6. Chocolates: There is more good news for those chocolate lovers. Apart from the many benefits that chocolate is supposed to have, the best is perhaps its effect on your LDL. Chocolate lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, and also reduces the risk of blood clots.

Make sure that you choose chocolates which contain 70 percent cocoa solids (dark and bitter chocolates). Avoid chocolates with unhealthy additives like partially hydrogenated oil, palm kernel oil, and the likes.

One of the major health hazards, high cholesterol has many causes. But fortunately, there are a number of foods which can help you tackle your cholesterol problem.

Include these easily available, daily foods in your diet and see the difference in your cholesterol levels.