It is easy to consume foods that raise cholesterol levels. However, it is just as simple to change your diet to lower cholesterol levels and improve the composition of healthy fats in the body.
Some foods have a particularly strong ability to help you reduce cholesterol levels. They provide a high dose of soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive tract and helps eliminate them from the body before they are absorbed into the bloodstream. Others provide polyunsaturated fats that instantly lower LDL cholesterol, considered the bad cholesterol. Foods with sterols and stanols prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol.
Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats are part of a heart-healthy diet.
Keep cholesterol under control and consume with confidence:
1. Oats
An easy way to start the process of lowering cholesterol is to choose oatmeal or oat-based cereals for breakfast. These provide the body with 1-2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or a few strawberries for an additional half gram of soluble fiber.
2. Beans
Also known as the poor man’s meat, beans are the most valuable source of plant-based protein, containing calcium, iron, and soluble fiber that lowers blood cholesterol. Since the body digests beans more slowly, they help you feel full longer after a meal. Thus, beans are a useful food for people trying to lose weight.
3. Nuts
Consuming almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and other nuts is good for the heart, according to numerous studies. Eating 56 grams of nuts can reduce LDL cholesterol by almost 5%. Additionally, nuts contain extra nutrients that further protect the heart.
4. Foods enriched with sterols and stanols
Plant-derived sterols and stanols enhance the body’s ability to absorb cholesterol from food. Food manufacturers add them to a wide variety of products. Sterols and stanols can also be found in supplement form.
5. Fatty fish
Eating fish 2-3 times a week can lower LDL cholesterol by providing saturated fats and delivering omega-3 fats. Omega-3 essential fatty acids reduce triglycerides in the blood and protect the heart.
6. Soy
Soy-based products contain plant estrogens and bioflavonoids that protect against heart disease and lower blood cholesterol.
7. Green vegetables
All greens and raw vegetables on the market—spinach, lettuce, chard, lamb’s quarters, nettles—reduce blood cholesterol.
8. Garlic and green onions
They have antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, have antioxidant effects, and boost immunity.
9. Cherries
They are diuretic, laxative, and contain pectins, soluble fibers that lower blood cholesterol and alleviate constipation.
10. Leeks
They are rich in both soluble (pectins) and insoluble (cellulose) fibers. Soluble fibers give a gelatinous consistency to dishes with leeks and reduce intestinal absorption of sugar and cholesterol.
11. Beets
The phytonutrients in beets bind cholesterol in the digestive tract, reducing absorption and consequently lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
12. Grapes
They have always been considered a food with multiple therapeutic properties: they combat kidney and gallstones, lower cholesterol and uric acid levels in the blood, are detoxifying and regenerating, and eliminate chronic fatigue, stress, and bad moods.
13. Artichokes
They stimulate liver functions, lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and limit fat storage in the liver.
Healthy habits for your heart
Blood cholesterol levels peak at age 60 for men, while for women, they continue to rise until age 70. It is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle based on a balanced diet and exercise to control blood cholesterol levels and take care of your heart health.
Give up processed meats, fatty cuts, cheese, and pastries.
Avoid frying as a cooking method and choose grilling, baking, or steaming instead.
Replace meat with fish. Fish is a diet food by definition, and fatty fish contains unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids that have a cardiovascular protective role and increase HDL, the good fraction of cholesterol.
Be mindful of sugar. Sugar and sweets contain empty calories that quickly deposit as fat and have the side effect of raising blood cholesterol levels.
Limit yourself to one glass of alcohol per day. Alcohol raises blood cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, or breast cancer.
Be cautious of advertising slogans like “cholesterol-free.” These slogans are used to attract consumers but do not guarantee that the product is healthy. “Cholesterol-free” written on oil is nonsensical; no vegetable oil contains cholesterol, which is only present in animal fats (butter, lard, cheese, eggs).
Increase your intake of lecithin. Lecithin is a substance involved in transporting cholesterol and fatty substances in the blood, preventing their deposition on vascular walls due to its emulsifying ability. You can find lecithin in soy, peas, seeds, nuts, broccoli, cauliflower, fish, and chocolate.
Exercise regularly. Exercise reduces blood pressure, stress hormone levels, and cholesterol, decreasing the risk of stroke by 100 times.
