High cholesterol levels are a concern for many people, making it vitally important to know which foods to eat to lower cholesterol levels. It has come to be almost a common thing to say “you should have a balanced diet”. Well the thing is, several illnesses and bodily conditions such as high cholesterol levels are mostly derived from a bad diet. Diet influences all our biological processes, and can alter our total health. Furthermore, some foods have a justified bad reputation: junk food, carbs, and sugar are not only fattening, but also scarcely nutritive and can even alter your physiological system.
Yet, in some cases, eating diverse foods can help you undo the effects of a bad diet, as well as to reduce the risks of contracting various diseases. Moreover, when making certain activities, eating particular products may benefit you, increasing your overall performance. For instance, if you are planning on doing some exercise, some specific foods can aid you not only with your physical exercise, but also provide you some extra energy for working out. If you were wondering which are the 10 Foods to Eat Before a Workout, check out the list we’ve made. Some snacks and foods such as bananas, oatmeal or fruit smoothies can help you optimize your workout session, while providing some important nutrients to avoid fatigue and prevent low blood sugar.
Additionally, it might come as a surprise that some foods are not only healthy, but can also help you balance your cholesterol levels. Indeed, some products contain a large amount of cholesterol LDL, which increases overall cholesterol level, and therefore contributes to increasing the risks of acquiring all diseases derived from it, such as heart attacks and strokes. Yet, there are other foods which contain HDL, the “good” cholesterol, which lowers LDL levels, helping you maintain regular levels of cholesterol, adding energy and preventing diseases. These are the ideal foods to eat to lower cholesterol. Changing your diet isn’t such a hard thing to do, and a few tweaks to it can help you improve your health immensely.
Check out the list we’ve made of the ten foods to eat to lower cholesterol, and see for yourself ways to start improving your way of life.
No. 10 Soy
Soy is not only nourishing, but can also be used as a replacement for meat, milk, and cheese. Cutting the amount of saturated fat contained in red meat is central to reducing blood cholesterol and helping your heart, as saturated fat increases low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Moreover, compounds in soy foods called isoflavones also work to reduce LDL cholesterol.
No. 9 Beans
Beans are high in cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber; beans can lower cholesterol by as much as 10% in six weeks. Soluble fiber forms a gel in water that helps bind acids and cholesterol in the intestinal tract, preventing their re-absorption into the body.
No. 8 Salmon
Salmon contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower LDL cholesterol, while raising HDL cholesterol, and lowering triglycerides. These acids can also be found in tuna canned in water, rainbow trout, anchovies, herring, sardines, and mackerel.
No. 7 Avocado
Avocado is a great source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, which helps raise levels of HDL while lowering levels of LDL. They have beta-sitosterol, a beneficial plant-based fat, which helps reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed from food.
No. 6 Garlic
Garlic is nutritional, and is a kitchen basic. It helps lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots, and reduce blood pressure. And indeed it helps prevent artery-clogging plaque.
No. 5 Spinach
With a great amount of lutein, a pigment found in dark green leafy vegetables and egg yolks, it guards against heart attacks, allowing arteries to expel cholesterol.
No. 4 Margarine
Margarine can help you lower your cholesterol levels by blocking the absorption of the cholesterol contained in food. Yet not all margarine helps lower LDL numbers. Only those certified by the National Cholesterol Education Program and the American Heart Association are recommended.
No. 3 Walnuts, Cashews, and Almonds
Nuts contain healthy monounsaturated fats, and provide vitamin E, magnesium, copper, and phytochemicals among other nutrients. All of these help decrease cholesterol levels while preventing heart diseases.
No. 2 Tea
This drink provides a huge amount of antioxidant compounds; it relaxes blood vessels and prevents blood clots. Flavonoid, the major antioxidant in tea, inhibits the oxidation of LDL cholesterol that leads to plaque formation on artery walls.
No. 1 Chocolate
Yes, on top of the list, we have chocolate. This sweet treat can help your hearing. Yet, the one we should choose is dark or bittersweet chocolate. It has a great amount of antioxidants, and it helps keep your arteries unclogged.
