Nutritional Advice to Prevent and Lower High Cholesterol (LDL)
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is made by the liver and absorbed from our diet. Small amounts of cholesterol start to collect on the inner walls of the arteries when there is an excess amount in the blood. This causes the artery walls to thicken and harden, decreasing the space through which the blood can flow (atherosclerosis). When this space becomes too narrow, the blood supply to the heart can be blocked, and a heart attack can occur.
Foods that lower cholesterol
Introducing some of these foods daily to your diet will help lower the LDL (bad cholesterol).
- Oats. This is an easy first step. Having a bowl of oats for breakfast with some fruit of your choice is a great way to start your journey to lower cholesterol. Another suggestion is to sprinkle one tablespoon of oat bran or psyllium husk over some yoghurt.
- Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help lower cholesterol, mainly through the soluble fiber they deliver.
- Beans are very rich in soluble fiber. With so many choices: kidney beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, chickpeas and beyond. They can be eaten on there own to added to salads, soups and stews. They are a very versatile food.
Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber. - Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways. Eating a hand full of nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cashews and peanuts as a snack per day is good for the heart.
- Vegetable Oils. Replacing margarine and butter when cooking with vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower and olive oil help lower LDL.
- Apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.
- Fatty fish. Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL in two ways: by replacing meat, which has LDL-boosting saturated fats and by delivering LDL-lowering omega-3 fats. Omega-3s reduce triglycerides in the blood stream.
Reference – Harvard Health
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