Foods can play a major role in lowering your cholesterol, according to MayoClinic.com. Foods to lower cholesterol will help lower your harmful cholesterol levels, not your beneficial cholesterol level. Harmful cholesterol plays havoc on your cardiovascular functioning. Foods that can help lower cholesterol also improve your overall cardiovascular health, thereby being termed heart-healthy foods by the American Heart Association. Eating these foods can lower your chances of needing cholesterol-lowering medications.
Nuts
Most varieties of nuts contain beneficial amounts of heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats, according to MayoClinic.com. Polyunsaturated fats can help keep your blood vessels operating properly by lowering your harmful cholesterol levels. This decreases the risk of developing heart disease. Beneficial nuts include pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts. Eat a serving size of 1.5 ounces, the equivalent of a handful, to help your cholesterol level. Replace foods high in saturated fat with nuts to assist in weight control. Choose unsalted, blanched varieties of these heart-healthy nuts. Use nuts instead of croutons and/or cheese in salads. Remember that nuts contain large amounts of calories and fat, so monitor your consumption.
Fatty Fish
Fatty fish contain many nutrients known for lowering cholesterol, according to Reader’s Digest and MayoClinic.com. Fatty fish, classified as heart-healthy food by the American Heart Association, contain rich amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. These acids can lower your harmful cholesterol while increasing your beneficial cholesterol levels. Omega-3 fatty acids can also lower triglycerides levels, improve your blood pressure level, help stabilize heart rhythms and reduce arterial inflammation. Take fish oil capsules to help lower cholesterol, if you do not like fish.
Prepare fish in a heart-healthy manner such as steaming, baking or poaching for best cholesterol-lowering results. Fatty fish include salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, albacore tuna, lake trout and halibut. Eat fish at least twice weekly to help your cardiovascular health.
Olives
Olives and olive oil contain rich amounts of antioxidants known as polyphenols. These antioxidants that help lower harmful cholesterol while leaving your good cholesterol intact, according to MayoClinic.com. Polyphenols also decrease blood vessel inflammation, improving both your triglyceride and cholesterol levels, according to Reader’s Digest. Olives also contain monounsaturated fat, a fat classified as heart-healthy by the American Heart Association. Choose extra virgin olive oil, the least processed of all oil varieties, which contains the greatest amounts of polyphenols to help your cholesterol.
Oats
Oats contain heart-healthy soluble fiber that serves a cholesterol dual purpose. The soluble fiber in oats can lower both your harmful and total cholesterol levels, according to MayoClinic.com. Soluble fiber reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed into your bloodstream. The fiber assists in removing cholesterol plaque from arterial walls, according to the American Heart Association. Remember to drink plenty of water to help the fiber pass through your body, according to Reader’s Digest. Help your cholesterol level by eating a bowl of cooked oatmeal or oat bran, boxed oat cereal or using oats as a whole grain instead of potatoes in your meal plan. Other products containing oats include breads, crackers, snack items, energy bars and cookies.