Top 10 Food which helps to Lower Bad Cholesterol

As discussed in the previous article- ” What is our cholesterol level?” ,we need to make sure that we consume more foods containing good cholesterol to increase the HDL in the body and reduce the bad cholesterol foods to reduce the -LDL.

But how do we know which is good and bad for us? Until recently even I was under the impression that I had to avoid all foods which were high in cholesterol in order to stay fit. But I was wrong, there are many foods which are high in Omega 3 fatty acids which are good for us and which will help us reduce the bad cholesterol in our body.

Firstly, we need to know the type of fats which are good and bad for us.

Polyunsaturated and unsaturated fats are good fats that cause the liver to produce less harmful LDL cholesterol and more protective HDL cholesterol.

Saturated fats , Trans fat raises your LDL (bad) cholesterol level more than anything else in the diet. it is important to monitor the saturated fat content in foods because the more there is, the harder the liver has to work to detoxify the body. Also, subsequent LDL cholesterol from bad fats will create plaque inside arteries, veins, and capillaries which can result in serious, if not deadly, cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks.

Below is the list of items which we need to include in our diet which will help to lower the bad cholesterol in the body.

Oats and Oat Bran-Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol. Soluble fiber appears to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines. Ten grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your total and LDL cholesterol. Eating 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 6 grams of fiber. If you add fruit, such as bananas, you’ll add about 4 more grams of fiber. You can alternate between oat bran cereals and oats for breakfast.
Walnuts-Walnuts which are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, help keep blood vessels healthy and elastic. Almonds and some other nuts appear to have a similar effect. Researches have proved that eating about a handful a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio and walnuts, may reduce your risk of heart disease.
Beans- These contain soluble fiber which helps to increase your HDL cholesterol All kinds of beans and legumes such as pinto, kidney, black-eyed, lentils, pink beans, garbanzo bean etc are good for your heart.
Fish-Almost all fish contain a range of fats that are known as the Omega-3 fats. The omega 3 fats are highly instrumental in boosting the levels of HDL cholesterol in the body. Eat oily fish two or three times a week. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are in mackerel, lake trout, sardines, tuna and salmon.
Garlic-Garlic helps to lower LDL cholesterol and thins your blood naturally. The sulfur compounds that give garlic its pungent flavor can also lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, lower blood pressure and even reduce your risk of stomach and colon cancer. This prevents clogging up of arteries and thus lowers your risk of heart diseases.
Egg-It is one of the best sources of HDL cholesterol that are accompanied by a huge amount of proteins. It is preferable to boil eggs as it preserves most of the nutrients in it. If your very calculate about the cholesterol in eggs, you can have one egg with yolk and have only the whites in the other eggs.
Berries-Berries namely a compound in blueberries (pterostilbene) may help lower cholesterol as effectively as commercial drugs with fewer side effects. If dont find fresh blueberries, you can get the frozen or the dried ones which have the same nutritional value. You can alternate with other berries namely strawberries, raspberries, black berries as per the season.
Cocoa/ Dark chocolate- Cocoa is one of the best sources of good or HDL cholesterol. About a quarter cup of the cocoa taken every day for 12 weeks increases the good cholesterol level by 24% to be precise. Research also proved that having 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate every day for a week raised their HDL by 9 percent. That’s a lot of chocolate that you can eat!
Avocados-Avocados contain oleic acid, an unsaturated fat that helps lower overall cholesterol and raise levels of HDL, plus a good dose of fiber .Try a few slices instead of mayonnaise to dress up your next burger. You can also add it in a milkshake or include it in your salads. It is mostly used as an important component in Mexican dishes.
Olive/Olive oil- It contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol but leave your “good” (HDL) cholesterol untouched. You can also try including other types of oil in your diet like canola, peanut, and almond oil (Monounsaturated fats) and corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil (polyunsaturated fats).