Diet to lower cholesterol: the 25 best foods to lower bad cholesterol
Discover the best foods whose nutrients lower bad cholesterol levels, while lowering the risk of heart disease.
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Cholesterol: The best foods to lower bad cholesterol
When we talk about foods and cholesterol, an image that often comes to mind is salmon. This is because of the good cholesterol that abounds in this pink fish saltwater.
Salmon and oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, and tuna contain omega-3 fatty acids. These help to stabilize the heart rate, lower cholesterol, and triglyceride levels and reduce inflammation of the arteries.
Aim for two fish meals a week and choose the ones that contain the least mercury. A recent study concludes that even half a serving per week could reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 17%.
Discover over the next few pages the best foods to integrate into your diet to better control your cholesterol.
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Soluble fiber
Soluble fiber found in oatmeal, oat bran, beans, and peas helps lower cholesterol levels by drowning and expelling cholesterol from the body as waste. If you’re looking for a concrete way to reach your goal, consider adding more of these foods to your diet.
Studies show that low-fat, high-fiber diets can lower the overall cholesterol level by 10 to 15 percent, enough to help you reach your target.
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Fruits and vegetables in the diet to lower cholesterol
It is not surprising to see the presence of fruits and vegetables on this list. To reduce cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation, diets that include high-fiber fruits and vegetables are essential. One more reason to eat an apple or add more green vegetables to your plate. Two studies show that people who consumed more than 8 servings a day reduced the risk of heart disease by 30%, compared with those who consumed only two servings or less.
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Wine
The wine offers benefits to the plant compounds that are found in the grape, such as resveratrol that helps lower cholesterol levels. Consume one to two glasses a day, or 120 ml per glass of wine.
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Olive oil in the diet to lower cholesterol
Replace saturated fat with olive oil, one of the basics of the Mediterranean diet that is heart-healthy. Olives and olive oil contain monounsaturated fats that are better than saturated fats for heart health. And in addition, olives contain antioxidants that, according to research, would reduce inflammation of the blood vessels by improving cholesterol and triglyceride levels. At the grocery store, look for virgin olive oil that is less processed, which means it contains more polyphenols than other more processed oils.
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Nuts
The madness of nuts! It’s obvious that they contain fat, but they are monounsaturated fats and saturated fat types that help lower cholesterol levels and protect your heart. There is no better snack for heart health than nuts that contain fiber, protein, vitamin E, magnesium, B vitamins, and potassium. Eat about 30 grams, at least five times a week.
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Soybeans in the diet to lower cholesterol
Soy-based foods are not the long-awaited panacea: they have been shown to have little effect on cholesterol levels in recent studies, but they have other benefits. Soybeans are an excellent source of protein, unlike meats that contain saturated fats. A soy-based food as an occasional substitute for meat or fat cheese is a good example of a heart-healthy dish.
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Cranberry juice
Cranberry juice has long been an effective way to fight urinary tract infection; but recent research shows that this juice, which contains a lot of antioxidants, could also protect your heart. In a three-month study involving 19 high-cholesterol subjects, the consumption of three servings of juice per day increased the level of HDL by 10%, decreasing by 40%. % the risk of heart disease. If you’re interested in cranberry juice, choose the brands that contain the least sugar.
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Plant sterols
You can lower your LDL cholesterol levels in just a few weeks. To do this, simply replace these products with enriched versions of plant sterols: margarine, vinaigrette, milk, cheese, yogurt, and orange juice. Sterols and stanols are naturally occurring compounds found in vegetables, nuts, and seeds and are added to margarine and other foods to lower your cholesterol levels, decreasing the amount you eat from food. Namely: sterols and stanols digest better with a little fat; if you take orange juice, do it during a meal.
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Pink grapefruit in the diet to lower cholesterol
An Israeli study was conducted on 57 bridged subjects. In these participants, statin drugs had no effect on cholesterol levels. This study shows that people who consumed pink grapefruit with their regular meal reduced by 15% of their total cholesterol level. The latter have been observed to decrease the level of LDL by more than 20% and the level of triglycerides by 17%.
Tip: pink grapefruit can influence other medications; if you are taking prescription medications, consult your doctor.
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Tomato sauce in the diet to lower cholesterol
If there is pizza or pasta on the menu, add a good amount of tomato sauce. Lycopene tomato is a powerful antioxidant of the carotenoid family. In addition, lycopene protects against heart disease by preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Cooking releases lycopene from tomatoes; you’ll get a better result by eating tomato sauce instead of raw tomatoes.
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Apples in the diet to lower cholesterol
Eat one or two apples a day. The antioxidants of the apple mimic the work of statins. Remember that statins stimulate the liver to remove bad cholesterol from the blood. Antioxidants in apple and apple juice also delay the breakdown of LDL cholesterol.
Three types of apples to try: Red Delicious, Northern Spy, and Ida Red.
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Cabbage in the diet to lower cholesterol
Cabbage is rich in powerful antioxidants. Eat red cabbage or raw green cabbage, sliced into a salad; delicious with garlic, a pinch of brown sugar and a drizzle of orange juice. Cabbage can also help lower your levels of bad cholesterol.
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cornflower in the diet to lower cholesterol
Blueberries contain antioxidants that help fight cell aging and lower the levels of bad cholesterol.
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Lawyer
Like grapefruit, avocado is rich in glutathione, an antioxidant effective at neutralizing free radicals. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, avocado would help lower bad cholesterol as part of a diet to better control cholesterol.
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Carrot
Beta-carotene, a colorful pigment of carrots, is a powerful antioxidant. Carrots are also effective in lowering bad cholesterol.
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Grapes in the diet to lower cholesterol
Quercetin, present in black grapes (and onions) prevents “bad” cholesterol (LDL) from attacking the arteries.
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Onion in the diet to lower cholesterol
Eat all types of onions. Add them raw in salads to make the most of the sulfites they contain, chemicals that reduce the risk of cancer of the colon and stomach. They also have the effect of lowering blood pressure.
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Soybeans in the diet to lower cholesterol
Rich in B vitamins, iron and calcium, soybeans contain antioxidants that reduce “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL).
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Good old oats in the diet to lower cholesterol
Beta-glucan, which is the soluble fiber of oats, acts like a sponge and traps bile acids rich in cholesterol, in the intestines, to eliminate them. In the end, the level of “bad” LDL cholesterol decreases because less goes into the bloodstream. A large bowl of oatmeal a day (about 1 1/2 cups) could lower cholesterol by 2% to 3%, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
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A soy milkshake
To make a delicious cholesterol-lowering drink, pour a cup of vanilla soy milk into a blender bowl, add two tablespoons of ground flaxseed and some fresh or frozen berries, and mix. In addition to the soy and flaxseeds in this smoothie lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise the rate of good cholesterol (HDL), while the fiber provided by the red fruits lower the total cholesterol.
Try our tropical soybean recipe.
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Grilled almonds, with skin
A handful of almonds contains 9 good grams of monounsaturated fat, which breaks down the bad cholesterol while increasing the level of good cholesterol. Eating almonds twice a day instead of donuts, potato chips or pretzels could reduce your level of “bad” cholesterol by up to 10%. Natural vitamin E in the flesh of the almond and flavonoids in the skin, which looks like paper, also helps to curb the development of plaque clogging the arteries.
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Alcohol in moderation
It’s not just wine that can help better control cholesterol. Alcohol – in any form – increases the level of HDL, the “good cholesterol”. Drinking moderately means drinking one drink a day for women and two for men. Glass means 25 ml of strong alcohol, 12 cl of wine or 25 cl of ordinary beer. If you exceed this dose, the harms will be greater than the benefits. Red wine also provides antioxidants from pigments in the skin of the grapes.
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From orange juice to breakfast
Drinking freshly squeezed orange juice or orange juice made of 100% pure juice can have a beneficial effect on lipid balance. In a recent study, people who were asked to drink three glasses of juice a day saw their HDL levels increase by 21% and their LDL levels drop by an average of 16%. Drink the juice within 5 minutes after exposure to light, because beyond, ultraviolet destroys vitamin C.
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Consult your doctor
Cholesterol levels should be monitored regularly, especially at age 45 or if there is a family predisposition. If your dosage is greater than 2 g / l (5.2 mmol / l), your doctor will probably have a more thorough lipid profile. Depending on the results, he may prescribe a lipid-lowering medication. In any case, he will recommend a suitable diet.
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In closing, integrate healthy lifestyle habits such as sports
Every day, try to make a 30-minute brisk walk. You can also swim or run (after medical advice if you are over 40 and have not played sports for a long time). The benefits of regular training are indisputable. Studies have shown that physical activity decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially stroke. Exercise is also beneficial if you have diabetes or hypertension, two diseases that represent, independently of each other, a risk factor cardiovascular.
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