Foods That Lower Cholesterol

Foods that lower cholesterol have become a hot topic.   Perhaps you’re worried about your cholesterol levels, or maybe just want to raise the HDL.  And holistic steps to lower your LDL is the number one step you should take.

There are actually both foods and nutritional supplements that can help lower cholesterol, but in this post, we’ll concentrate on foods.

Fruits, Nuts and Vegetables

When eaten fresh (not canned), the trio of fruits, nuts and vegetables becomes a powerful foe of cholesterol.  And while veggies are for the most part “free”, you do need to keep tabs on both nuts and fruits. 

You see, many fruits have high concentrations of sugar, and nuts just plain have a lot of calories.  But both are part of a healthful diet to lower cholesterol.

Here are some fruits that are good for your cholesterol-fighting food plan:

• Apples
• Berries (especially blueberries)
• Avocados
• Olives
• Grapes

Some especially healthy nuts include walnuts and almonds.

When it comes to vegetables, consider adding more of the following to your diet:

• Beans and legumes
• Collard greens
• Eggplant
• Pumpkin (and seeds)
• Onions
• Shitake mushrooms
• Tomatoes

Once again, fresh is always best.  If you can’t get fresh (like in winter for example), frozen is your next best choice.  Canned is a distant third, as many of the nutrients are lost in the processing.

Spices and Grains That Can Lower Cholesterol

You’ve probably seen those commercials for Quaker Oats and Cherios, how they help to lower cholesterol levels when eaten regularly.  And in fact, whole grains do help to lower cholesterol levels.

Of the two, the oatmeal is the better bet, having been processed less (and with fewer preservatives) than a cold breakfast cereal.  So let’s add the following to a list of foods that lower cholesterol:

• Brown rice
• Whole wheat
• Oats

And there are some spices that can help you to lower your cholesterol; they are:

• Cinnamon
• Garlic
• Turmeric

If you’re not regularly using these spices, you might want to consider including them more often.

Foods That Lower Cholesterol – Other

You might be wondering about some of the other foods you hear about that are in the news.  And yes, there are some others that are good to include in your diet:

• Salmon and other oily fish such as mackerel and tuna.
• Dark chocolate
• Green tea

Summary of Cholesterol-Lowering Foods

Yes, it’s as you expected — a healthy diet is the key to lowering your cholesterol levels.  Fruits, veggies, whole grains — they top the list of good foods.  Add in smaller amounts of legumes, beans and nuts — smaller amounts due to the calorie counts.

Olive oil — you can make this part of your daily diet.  Add in an oily fish a few times a week for a cholesterol-fighting boost.

Spice things up with herbs, cinnamon and garlic.

Add some “yum” with dark chocolate.  Then include some green tea for its cholesterol-fighting antioxidants.

So foods that lower cholesterol don’t have to be dull.  And you don’t have to give up all red meats.  Just make high cholesterol foods like red meats, egg yolks and shrimp a very small part of your diet.  Think of them as treats, as opposed to something you eat regularly.