For staying healthy, keeping the cholesterol level low is very necessary as high cholesterol causes several diseases and puts your metabolism in danger. Cholesterol can be caught by bad eating habits and stress. If you are suffering from high cholesterol, it not only cause fatty deposits but also limits the flow of blood which causes high blood pressure leading to the heart disease and stroke.
Cholesterol is necessary for proper working of all cell tissues but we have enough of cholesterol in our body which is why it is not necessary to consume more cholesterol. For having the optimal health, cholesterol lowering foods should be introduced in everyone’s diet. High cholesterol can be produced because of several reasons; let it be your gender, age and gender plays an important part in the risk of high cholesterol. The people suffering from high cholesterol should be on a strict cholesterol-diet which is mandatory for them to be healthy.
As diet plays an important part in the cholesterol levels and to know the answers asked by many that what foods lowers cholesterol; we have combined the top 15 cholesterol fighting foods low in cholesterol that will help you in maintaining well-being and diet.
15. Salmon
For low cholesterol level and not compromising the taste, you can have fish which offers high number of health benefits such as salmon which contain omega-3 fatty acids that provides the number of cardiovascular benefits. If you want to keep your cholesterol below a certain level then you need to add Salmon in your diet. Salmon is known as one of the high cholesterol foods but this cholesterol is all considered good and healthy. Incorporating salmon in your diet benefits you in:
- It boosts up your level of High density lipoprotein which is good cholesterol for your health.
- It prevents chronic health conditions.
- By eating salmon, you can lower the bad type of cholesterol.
- It lowers down the body cholesterol naturally.
14. Garlic
Garlic has been used as a medicine for improving health rather its usage as a food. Health benefits of garlic are numerous. In ancient times, it was used for several diseases such as to treat the deafness, to boost stamina, for leprosy, illness and loss of appetite. And nowadays, garlic is used to treat cholesterol, to reduce blood pressure and to prevent from infections. Garlic is the most common purchased herb which is used to lower cholesterol levels, taking about half or 1 gram of garlic a day reduces the cholesterol levels. It is also one of the known natural home remedies for high blood pressure. You can take garlic in different ways which is good for high cholesterol diet, there is no need to take it as a whole, and you can use it in:
- Toss it on pizza.
- Add in the soup.
- Use it on the side dishes.
- To have proper benefits, eat 2 to 4 fresh cloves of garlic a day.
13. Berries
Berries contain a powerful antioxidant which helps in lowering the LDL cholesterol which is bad cholesterol for health. Some of the types of berries have highest LDL effect including red raspberries, blueberries, cherries and strawberries. Berries can help you in lowering cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Make sure to include at least blueberries in your daily diet as health benefits of blueberries are much more than others. Berries are one of the best foods to lower cholesterol which benefits as:
- Berries are high in fiber which helps in removing the cholesterol that passes through the intestines.
- Antioxidant is found on the skin of berries which has the great heart benefits.
- Berries are considered as one of the healthiest fruits that a person should consume.
12. Beans
If your cholesterol is high and you want to lower it then here is your food that will help you completing your desire, beans are one of the best foods that lower cholesterol and which also helps you in good health of your heart. Beans are full of fiber and they are high in cholesterol lowering solvable fiber. To lower cholesterol level by eating beans, you should have a cup of any type of beans a day, mainly nay, pinto, kidney or chickpea which lowers cholesterol as much as 10% in 6 weeks. Beans can help you in different ways:
- They are rich in fiber which helps lowering cholesterol.
- The best part, they are cholesterol free.
- They are good cause of starch which lowers cholesterol.
- They are trans-fat free.
11. Avocado
Avocado is high in minerals and nutrients which makes it good for health. It is full of lutein, vitamins, fiber and potassium which are high oxidants to help you boost metabolism. Though avocados are high in fats but it is also rich in monounsaturated fats which lower LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol in your body. Avocados are good for lowering cholesterol if you eat it on the replacement of other fat foods. There are a lot more health benefits of avocado that are really good for your health:
- It lowers down the LDL cholesterol.
- It is good for the health of heart.
- It lessens the risk of depression.
- It helps in improving digestion.
- It is good for visionary problems.
“Mix your cholesterol prescription with some healthy foods and limited fats which will help you in controlling your cholesterol and improving the quality of your life.”
10. Apples
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, the most famous phrase heard by many. Apple is a healthy fruit which helps you in lowering cholesterol levels and to fight heart disease. The white stuff inside the apple fixes to cholesterol in the gut and carries it out of the body. Apple is good source of soluble fiber and contains the same level of abilities to lower the cholesterol as of oats. Make sure to eat at least one apple a day to enjoy the amazing health benefits of apple and also to keep doctor away.
- Daily intake of apple lowers the level of bad cholesterol by 40%.
- Apples are found to be more effective rather taking any supplement containing an oxidant.
- Eating apple on the regular basis improves the heart health.
9. Vegetables
As everyone knows that vegetables are good source of cholesterol-lowering antioxidants that keeps a person healthy. Vegetables can be used as one of the best home remedies to lower cholesterol with food. Choose a healthy diet and foods that are low in saturated fat. Here is a list of vegetables that keeps your cholesterol level lower and maintains your good health.
- Cabbage; It is rich in antioxidants which helps in lowering cholesterol.
- Carrots; the beta-carotene not only makes it the colorful but also is a prevailing antioxidant.
- Onion; onions does not only lowers cholesterol but also contains sulphides that helps in reducing the risk of stomach cancer.
8. Oats
Oats are good for breakfast either you make it simple or garnish it with nuts or fruits. Oats contains soluble fibers which are good to lower the cholesterol and reduce the bad cholesterol from your intestine. You can take oatmeal regularly to profit from amazing benefits of oatmeal and oats for health. To introduce oats in your daily diet:
- Start with having porridge in the morning.
- If you don’t want to have porridge then have oats mixed with banana and walnuts which makes it healthier.
- Oats cannot only be taken in breakfast, you can use the ground oats mixed in any food like soups.
- If you are fond of baking then you can also use it in some baking recipes.
- Not all foods containing oats can be healthy; they might contain small amount of oats and large amount of fat and sugar.
7. Green Tea
Having a hot cup of green tea or green tea shot gives the grassy flavor which gives your body a warm feeling and relaxes you; green tea provides antioxidants that damage from free radicals and can also lower cholesterol. Research shows that having 10 cups of green tea a day can minimize the risk of high cholesterol. It also makes blood circulation better and keeps you healthy. Green tea lowers cholesterol because:
- It contains catechin polyphenols which are very powerful antioxidant that effectively lowers the LDL cholesterol.
- The leaves of green tea are weakened and steamed instead of inflamed like other teas.
- If consumed on the daily basis, it does not only lower the LDL cholesterol but also prevents from the risk of heart disease.
6. Almonds
Many questions have been asked online that what to eat to lower cholesterol, there are natural home snacks that can lower down the cholesterol which are almonds, almonds are super healthy food which is a good source of vitamin E and calcium. It also contains the antioxidants that help in lowering your cholesterol levels. In order to lower cholesterol, you can easily have benefits of almonds if you follow these:
- Eat around 73 grams of almonds per day.
- Since almonds are high in calories, do not eat more than a cup a day.
- Eating a cup of almonds a day also helps you in lessening the risk of heart disease.
- Instead of using cheese or other fat full ingredients in your salad, try using almonds.
“If you want a healthy life, then start working on the high cholesterol which will lead you to the healthy heart eventually ending in healthy life.”
5. Spinach
As the spinach contains the large amount of lutein which helps in protecting the arteries from cholesterol gathering. Lutein has been considered as the guardian against age related muscular degeneration. If someone ask what foods lower cholesterol? Spinach would be the best of them. How to gain some amazing benefits of spinach to help lowering cholesterol:
- ½ cup of spinach a day also guards you against heart attacks.
- Take the baby spinach and microwave it for 3 minutes and top it with 2 tablespoon of parmesan and 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds.
- Spinach is the great source of lutein so have ½ cup a day.
4. Red Wine
Red Wine is taken for the healthy heart and it contains substances called antioxidants that helps preventing heart disease by increasing the level of HDL which is a good cholesterol and protects against artery damage. Research shows:
- Red wine increases the level of HDL by 5 to 15 percent.
- It is beneficial because of its powerful antioxidants.
- For women; stick to 5 ounce glass of wine a day.
- For men; stick to 2 ounce glass of wine a day.
3. Soy
If you want to cut cholesterol from your body then the first and important thing to consider is to reduce the saturated fat for which it is must to replace your meat with soy foods which helps you in lowering cholesterol and can help in healthy heart. To get some soy food in your diet:
- You can take it as tofu, soy flour, soy nuts or soymilk.
- As an alternative to grounded meat, you can use the crumbled soy.
- To lower cholesterol level, you should take the whole soy because its contain proteins and phytates.
2. Chocolate
If you are a chocolate lover and also wants to lower cholesterol then here is the good news for you which is; chocolate can reduce the cholesterol levels. Cocoa powder is high in antioxidant chemicals which are good for health. So chocolate is one of the most delicious foods that lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Remember that:
- Not all the chocolates are good for your health.
- Some of them are full of fat but some contains antioxidants that are helpful to health and lowering cholesterol.
1. Lentils
Lentils are mostly easy to prepare and serve and is considered as the healthiest food. It is the member of legume family which is full of nutrition and good sources of lowering cholesterol. Lentils not only helps in lowering cholesterol but are also good for managing and curing blood sugar levels. There are many other health benefits of eating lentils:
- It gives you energy.
- It is full of iron which provides you full energy.
- If you love you to have a healthy heart, eat lentils.
- It is full of fiber.
There are some foods to avoid with high cholesterol which are as follows:
- Cheeseburger.
- Macaroni.
- Ice-cream.
- Muffin.
- Fried foods.
Do’s
- Consider herbal and natural remedies.
- Do exercise regularly.
- Eat fresh fruits.
- Limit the fat in your diet.
Don’ts
- Skip fat full foods.
- Stop over consumption of sugar.
- Don’t eat too much salt.
- Avoid nuts coated with salt or sugar.
