Top Ten Cholesterol-Lowering Foods
- Apples: Apple pectin is a soluble fiber that helps remove the cholesterol from your body! Apples contain flavanoids which act as powerful anti-oxidants that seem to halt the “bad” cholesterol from accumulating in your bloodstream.
- Avocado: Avocados are a great source of monounsaturated fats, a type of fat that may help to raise the “good” cholesterol, while lowering the “bad”. In addition, avocados contain more beta-sitosterol (a plant-based fat) than any other fruit. The American Heart Association recommends that you get up to 15% of your daily calories from monounsaturated fats.
- Beans: Beans and vegetables are excellent sources of soluble fiber. Eating a cup of any type of beans a day—particularly kidney, navy, pinto, black, chickpea, or butter beans—can lower your cholesterol by as much as 10% in 6 weeks. According to the FDA and the National Cancer Institute, adults should get 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day. That can easily be done by adding beans to your daily diet.
- Cinnamon: A study published in Diabetes Care found that half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day can significantly reduce blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It also reduces triglycerides, LDL (“bad” cholesterol), and total cholesterol levels.
- Garlic: Garlic has been shown to prevent blood clots, reduce blood pressure, and protect against infections. Most recently garlic has received attention for its possible ability to lower cholesterol levels.
- Grapes: Grapes contain flavanoids that help protect the “bad” cholesterol from further damage and reduces clumping of the blood. The LDL lowering effect of grapes comes from a compound, resveratrol, that the grapes produce naturally that normally resist mold. The darker the grape, the better!
- Oats: Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your LDL cholesterol. Five to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day decreases LDL cholesterol. Eating 1 ½ cups of cooked oatmeal provides 4.5 grams of fiber.
- Salmon: The major health components in salmon include: Omega-3 fatty-acids and proteins. These components lend positive results to the cardiovascular system. The American Heart Association recommends that people eat at least two servings of fish per week, particularly fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and herring).
- Soy: The top health promoting components in soybeans are isoflavones and soluble fiber. 25-50 grams of soy per day is recommended to decrease cholesterol by 4 to 8%.
- Walnuts: Walnuts can significantly reduce blood cholesterol because they are rich in polyunsaturated (omega-3) fatty acids. Walnuts also keep blood vessels healthy and elastic-like. Almonds appear to also have the same effects, resulting in improvements within four weeks. A cholesterol-lowering diet with a little less than 1/3 of a cup of walnuts per day can significantly reduce LDL cholesterol.
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