[Easy] How to Lower Cholesterol Levels Food Diet

Below is a comprised list of food you can eat if you want to prevent cholesterol or need to lower cholesterol naturally without medication. Some of us may think that we are eating healthy but it may be surprising that what we may think is healthy is actually unhealthy. Individuals who think they are healthy should examine their diet to confirm they are making the right food choices. Read our lifestyle changes to lower your cholesterol for more ideas on lowering your cholesterol without medication.

Eat Your Way to Lower Cholesterol

It is said that lowering your bad cholesterol (LDL) might make males look 3.3 years younger and make females look 0.6 years younger.

Eat Oats for Lower Cholesterol

Oats – Oats have so many benefits including helping to lower your cholesterol and helping you to lose weight at the same time. I like to add chopped/sliced/diced fresh fruits (banana, apple, peaches, blueberry, strawberries) to my oatmeal to change it up a bit. Eating two servings of oats for breakfast can lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) by 5.3% in about 6 weeks – a month and a half. Oats contain beta-glucan which is known as a cholesterol buster because it absorbs LDL which is then excreted by your body. Oats are also a good source of soluble fiber which forms a gel to help your bloodstream from not absorbing the bad cholesterol.

Try making this simple oatmeal cookie for snacks: www.doctoroz.com

Drink Red Wine to Lower Cholesterol

Red Wine – I have heard that a cup of red wine a day is good for the heart, but I did not know that red wine can help lower cholesterol also. Red wine that is made with Tempranillo red grapes which contain high-fiber can significantly lower cholesterol levels.

The department of metabolism and nutrition conducted a study at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain discovered that individuals LDL levels decreased by 9% after consuming red wine made with Tempranillo red grapes. Participants that had high cholesterol was amazed when their LDL dropped by 12%, so please do not be scared of one glass of drink.

Snack on Blueberries to Lower Cholesterol

Blueberries – Blueberries is known as a superfood for many reasons including helping to reduce artery clogging from bad cholesterol blood levels. Researchers think the blueberries helps the arteries because it supports liver function. Blueberries do not lose their health benefits regardless if they are fresh, frozen or freeze-dried.

Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids Diet Lowers Cholesterol

Omega-3 fats – Omega-3 fats are known for helping us to prevent heart disease, dementia, lower your cholesterol and many other diseases. Loma Linda University researched replacing saturated fats with Omega-3 fats and found that your good (HDL) cholesterol levels can rise to 4% after switching to Omega-3 fats. A few fish filled with Omega-3 fats are salmon, herring, tuna, trout, sardines, and mackerel.

Snack on Cholesterol Lowering Nuts

Nuts – Nuts are a great snack that will give you energy and will help you to lower your cholesterol. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study showing that participants lowered their bad cholesterol (LDL) by 9.3% and total cholesterol by 5.4% after eating 1.5 oz of whole walnuts for six days a week for one month. Little information for those of us who do not like to weigh things – 1.5oz is about one and a half shot glass. Please remember that too much of something is not good so is the right portion – nuts are high in calories which will lead to weight gain and you might also have digestive issues if you eat too many nuts a day.

Who wants to eat walnuts every day – two great substitutions are cashews and almonds – same amount, 1.5oz. Almonds are rich in unsaturated fats which help to raise your good (HDL) cholesterol and works hard to help lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol.

Almonds, cashews, and walnuts help your bad (LDL) cholesterol not likely to oxidize which is beneficial. Bad cholesterol oxidizing means that it will stick to the artery wall and might cut blood flow to the heart.

Tomatoes Help Reduce Cholesterol

Tomatoes – Tomatoes is rich in lycopene which can lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels by 10 percent if consumed every day for a few weeks. Researchers believe that the lycopene prevents bad cholesterol from producing and helps to break down the bad cholesterol which can clog our arteries. You should consume about  25 milligrams (about ½ cup of tomato sauce) of lycopene a day if you need help with your cholesterol benefits.

Cholesterol Lowering Teas

Tea – Tea (all variety) is one of my favorite drink to drink throughout the day because it makes me feel good and revived. Tea has so many benefits such as its cancer-fighting antioxidants and fights against high bad (LDL) cholesterol levels. The USDA conducted research on black tea which shows that black tea helps to reduce blood lipids up to 10% in only about 3 weeks.

Eat Beans to for Cholesterol Reduction

Beans – Beans is a very good source of protein and fiber which contributes to many health benefits. Beans are also known as a heart healthy food that helps to reduce or slow down the amount of cholesterol absorbed in certain foods. Black bean, kidney bean, and pinto beans will give you about one-third of your daily fiber.

Arizona State University Polytechnic researchers discover that ½ cup of beans in a bowl of soup can help to lower your total cholesterol including your bad cholesterol (LDL) up to 8%.

Chocolate Ideas to Fight Cholesterol

Chocolate – I love chocolate and cannot get enough of it. Chocolate contains antioxidant that helps to build good cholesterol (HDL) levels. Dark or bittersweet chocolate is the best kind to choose because they have 3 times more antioxidants than milk chocolate. Dark and bittersweet chocolate may also help your arteries from being clogged and assist the blood platelets from sticking together.

According to a study in 2007 conducted and published in AJCN, participants who took the cocoa powder for 12 weeks had their good cholesterol (HDL) increased by 24%. Participants in a controlled group for the same amount of time only had a 5% increase in their good cholesterol.

Some Margarine Helps to Lower Cholesterol!?

Margarine – Margarine with plant sterols can contribute to lower your cholesterol. Plant sterols help to reduce cholesterol absorption so it might be best to switch to margarine. AJCN published a study that showed females who had a high plant sterol based diet lower their total cholesterol by 3.5%.

Garlic as a Natural Cure for Cholesterol

Garlic – Garlic is a staple ingredient in many countries, but it can also help to lower your cholesterol, prevent blood clots, reduce blood pressure, protect against infections and has so many other benefits. Research has concluded that garlic helps to stop artery clogging plaque when caught at its early stage by keeping the cholesterol particles from sticking to the artery wall.

Olive Oil for Cholesterol Reduction

Olive oil – Olive oil is known to be a healthy oil that is filled with healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) that benefit the heart and is rich in antioxidants. About two tablespoons of olive oil are recommended a day. MUFAs helps to lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol along with getting rid of some of that belly fat that you may not want and increases your good cholesterol. There are several ways to used olive oil including in cooking, marinating meats, making salad dressing, adding to pasta, etc.

Blood samples/work studies have shown that individuals who ate a meal with olive oil two hours prior have a chance of less harmful clotting. Olive oil contains a high amount of phenolics which is a plant substance that lower the chance of the blood clotting.

Steamed Asparagus for Cholesterol Benefits

Steamed Asparagus – Steamed Asparagus can help to lower your cholesterol. A few other vegetables that might help to lower cholesterol when steamed are okra,  beets, green beans, carrots, eggplant, and cauliflower. It is believed that steaming the veggies will help to bind bile acids which also benefits your liver.

Cholesterol Benefits of Spinach

Spinach – Spinach is a popular green food that you either love or don’t –  I love spinach of all sort and cook it in eggs, soups, sauteed with garlic and I also use it in salads. Spinach contains lots of lutein which can be found in eggs and dark green leafy vegetables. Lutein is something that everyone should want to eat because it helps fight/guard against age-related macular degeneration which is mainly the cause of blindness.

It has been discovered that ½ cup of a lutein in your food can help to guards against heart attacks by assisting your artery walls to fight/bounce off cholesterol that can cause clogging.

Avacado Benefits for Cholesterol

Avocado – Avocados are not that flavorful but are a great source for MUFAs. Avocados can help you to lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol while raising your good (HDL) cholesterol. Avocados contain beta-sitosterol which fights cholesterol and is a plant-based fat that helps reduce the cholesterol amount absorbed from food. Avocados are high in calories and fat so like any other food, use in moderation.

A few of our favorite ways to eat avocados: guacamole, guacamole mixed with canned tuna – eat alone or in a sandwich, sliced avocado in an egg, turkey or chicken sandwich,  in salads and avocado mixed with ground garlic and adobo.

Conclusion

To sum it all up, eating the foods listed above gives you lots of options to reduce your cholesterol or at least keep cholesterol in check naturally without medication. There are options for everyone’s tastes and preferences. Hope you enjoyed this list and please like, share with friends and family.