Cholesterol Reducing Foods

If you have high cholesterol level in your bloodstream, altering your diet to include food that reduces cholesterol is recommended. Consider these cholesterol reducing foods on your next trip to the grocery.

Fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh fruits like apricots, berries, apples, pears and vegetables like carrots, cabbage, and sweet potatoes are high in soluble fiber so they can effectively reduce your LDL levels. Five servings a day is considered ideal. Read more

How to Raise Good Cholesterol (HDL) Levels

In the past, it was common advice to lower your cholesterol level in order to avoid the risk of coronary heart diseases. But a shift has taken place and the approach turned to raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol to combat low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol. To do this, however, a change in lifestyle is essential. Read more

Cholesterol Reducing Foods

If you have high cholesterol level in your bloodstream, altering your diet to include food that reduces cholesterol is recommended. Consider these cholesterol reducing foods on your next trip to the grocery.

Fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh fruits like apricots, berries, apples, pears and vegetables like carrots, cabbage, and sweet potatoes are high in soluble fiber so they can effectively reduce your LDL levels. Five servings a day is considered ideal.

Oats. Oatmeal and oat bran are also excellent source of soluble fiber. 1 ½ cups of cooked oatmeal is recommended; more so if combined with fruits like banana.

Walnuts and almonds. Although high in calories, these nuts are said to lower LDL levels according to studies. A maximum of 2 ounces or 57 grams in your diet is enough to reduce bad cholesterol.
Fish. A diet of at least two servings of fish in one week is recommended to reduce LDL levels for its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Olive oil and other oils. Approximately 2 tablespoons or 23 grams of olive oil daily can reduce bad cholesterol; even more so if extra-virgin olive oil is used. Other oils such as canola, avocado, peanut, soy and corn are also recommended.

Sterols or stanols fortified food. Food fortified with sterols or stanols such as margarines, orange juice as well as yogurt keep bad cholesterols from being absorbed in our body. At least 2 grams of plant sterols a day, however, is necessary to see results.

Eliminating trans fat from your diet is not the only way to reduce bad cholesterol. Eating the right (cholesterol reducing foods) will also provide great results.

Decrease Your LDL Cholesterol Level The ‘Smart’ Way

Although most shiver at the word cholesterol or at the thought of having cholesterol, the truth is that every healthy person has some level of cholesterol in their body. Cholesterol is the fat-like substance that is found in foods produced by animals (think eggs, milk and meat), and in order for the body to function properly; it must have the proper amount of cholesterol present. The problem with cholesterol isn’t its presence in the body, problems arise when there is more cholesterol present than the body needs.

Cholesterol (fat) travels through the body by attaching itself to proteins. It is this protein-cholesterol combo (called a lipoprotein) that defines the healthiness of a person as it relates to the amount of cholesterol present in relation to the amount of protein present. The classification is as follows:

low density liproproteins (LDL) / very low density liproproteins (VLDL) – LDL and VLDL are both bad cholesterols, as the amount of fat outnumbers the amount of protein in the blood. This often leads to a plaque buildup on artery walls.

high density liproproteins (HDL) HDL is good cholesterol as the strong protein amount helps the blood rid itself of bad cholesterol.

Healing Through Healthy Living

By reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol consumed, a person can decrease their LDL cholesterol level. Eat healthy by including fruits and vegetables regularly in the daily rotation. In addition, since smoking lowers HDL, those who quit also realize better “good” cholesterol levels. And finally, aerobic exercise is a great way to lose extra pounds and in the process raise your HDL level.

Natural Treatments

Garlic, chromium, soy and Vitamin C and royal jelly have long been used to reduce LDL levels in the blood. Psyllium seeds, carnitine, Coenzyme Q10, pantothine, red yeast rice have been used to promote the health of HDL in the blood. And fiber works in tthe small intestines to present cholesterol from entering into the bloodstream.

How to Lower Bad Cholesterol Levels – Naturally!

Lowering bad cholesterol can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes as well as many other serious health risks. Let’s take a look at some proven natural foods and nutrients which lower bad cholesterol. Read more