Diet can help you lower your cholesterol levels significantly. Here are some foods that will help you lower your cholesterol while protecting your heart.
Changing your diet can help you lower your cholesterol and improve the fat levels in your blood. A low-cholesterol diet should include foods that lower LDL, the harmful cholesterol-carrying particle that contributes to artery-clogging atherosclerosis.
If you have high cholesterol, which foods should you avoid? Red meat, fried foods, and baked goods are notorious for raising low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the sticky type that builds up in artery walls.
Many foods that lower cholesterol help in different ways, and they all work in different ways. Some foods contain soluble fiber. It binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and pulls them out of the body before getting into the bloodstream.
Some foods give you polyunsaturated fats, which help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) right away. Some also have plant sterols and stanols, which stop the body from taking in cholesterol.
Here are five foods that can help you naturally lower your cholesterol
1. Oily Fish
It can be good for your heart to eat fatty fish because it has a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower your blood pressure and risk of getting blood clots.
The American Heart Association says that you should eat at least two servings of fish each week. Fish should be baked or grilled so fat is not introduced.
2. Fiber
Foods high in soluble fiber help keep cholesterol from getting into your bloodstream. Oats contain soluble fiber in abundance, as do many other foods. These foods include kidney beans and apples, pears, barley, and prunes.
3. Nuts
A small number of nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts may help keep your heart healthy. Eating nuts may: Lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which play a role in the formation of plaques in your arteries. Do not eat nuts that have salt or sugar. These add extra sodium and calories, which is terrible for you.
4. Olive oil
If you largely use olive oil, you can cut down on your “bad” cholesterol (LDL) while leaving your “good” cholesterol (HDL) alone. Even more so if you choose extra-virgin olive oil, which is less processed and has more heart-healthy antioxidants.
5. Avocados
Avocados are a great source of nutrients and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which are suitable for your body. People who are overweight or obese can improve their LDL cholesterol levels by adding an avocado a day to a heart-healthy diet.
What about Eggs?
People with high cholesterol often wonder if eating eggs is OK because the yolk is full of cholesterol. In general, most people should be fine because the cholesterol in eggs has no significant effect on blood cholesterol. Limiting the amount of saturated fat you consume is far more critical.
There are also some other changes you can make to your diet.
These foods don’t work if you don’t make other changes to your diet and way of life. One of the best things you can do is reduce the amount of saturated and trans fat you eat.
Your total cholesterol goes up if you eat a lot of saturated fats, like those found in meat and butter, as well as full-fat dairy products like cheese and cream. If you cut back on the number of saturated fats you eat, your LDL cholesterol can go down 8% or 9% in just a few weeks.
Trans fats are commonly found in margarine, store-bought cookies, crackers, and cakes and are on food labels as “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.” Trans fats raise overall cholesterol levels, so be cautious.
What is a good meal plan if you have high cholesterol?
Experts say it’s better to have a mix of different investments than to put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to investing money. You can also eat your way to less cholesterol. The same is true if you eat your way to lower cholesterol. It should be better to eat many different foods to lower cholesterol than only to eat a few.
Be aware you have to pay more attention when you change your eating habits than when you take a statin every day. You have to try new foods and get used to different textures and flavors to eat more food.
Even so, it’s a “natural” way to lower cholesterol, and it doesn’t have the side effects that some people who take statins get.
If lifestyle changes aren’t enough…
While making healthy lifestyle changes, your doctor may prescribe medication to lower your cholesterol.
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