Your levels of both good and bad cholesterol might vary significantly depending on your diet, making cholesterol a picky little creature. Given that your liver is the main generator of cholesterol and accounts for around 85% of the cholesterol in your blood, the impact that food has on your cholesterol levels may not seem significant at first glance.
However, meals heavy in saturated fats and occasionally trans fats also tend to be high in cholesterol. Animal products such as fatty meats, high-fat dairy products, poultry skin, and baked goods are the primary sources of saturated fat and cholesterol. Consuming certain items may cause your HDL to drop and your LDL to rise, which can lead to plaque buildup in your arteries and ultimately heart disease. According to registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, “your diet influences your overall risk for several conditions in multiple ways.” Why is cholesterol even important to us? thus it increases the risk of heart disease. Therefore, heart disease is what we are mostly attempting to prevent.
Foods that can help reduce cholesterol
Exercise can raise your HDLs, but there are a number of things in your diet that can lower LDLs. Here, improvisation, substitution, and reduction are crucial. Gummy soluble fiber attaches itself to bile. You can reduce your LDL by 1% for every gram of soluble fiber you consume. LDL can also be decreased by substituting mono- and polyunsaturated fats for diets high in saturated fat. It’s crucial to incorporate these items into your diet in tiny ways, such as by using avocado slices in place of cheese on salads or substituting vinegar and olive oil for creamy dressings.
Grain and oats
One excellent source of soluble fiber is grains and oats. A bowl of oats or oat bran muffins is a healthy way to start the day. Zumpano claims that oats are incredibly adaptable. “In order to increase fiber, they can also be ground up to make oat flour and used in place of traditional white flour.” Try quinoa, barley, buckwheat, rye, millet, and other grains, or serve more common grains like brown or wild rice as an accompaniment.
Legume
Legumes, such as split peas, lentils, and dried beans like kidney or black beans, are another source of soluble fiber. These are also quite filling and high in protein, which will help you control your cravings between meals. In addition to being a terrific meat substitute, legumes can help decrease cholesterol levels. “They can also help control blood sugar levels because they don’t spike your blood sugar as much as some other carbohydrates may,” Zumpano explains.
Vegetables that are not starchy
Because they are low in calories, high in fiber, and include protein, non-starchy vegetables like asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, celery, carrots, leafy greens, and onions should make up a large portion of your meal. According to Zumpano, “these vegetables support all of the goals we’re trying to accomplish.” “Reducing your intake of starches and increasing your intake of non-starchy vegetables can also help lower triglycerides, which can be just as risky when elevated for heart disease.”
Seeds and nuts
Try a handful of nuts the next time you need a little crunch or just a snack in between meals. It has been demonstrated that eating walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds raises HDL and lowers LDL and triglycerides if you frequently eat them and substitute them for other salty, crunchy snack foods. These can be added to meals to improve their flavor and nutritional value in addition to being satisfying. Add sunflower seeds or pepitas to your salads, or mix flax and chia seeds into Greek yogurt, cereals, or whole-grain pancakes. “When you’re eating a lot of plant-based foods, this is a very satisfying food category,” says Zumpano.
Fruits: Berries are essential. Strawberries, raspberries, pomegranates, blueberries, and blackberries are low in sugar and high in soluble fiber. Pears, bananas, and apples also contain soluble fiber, but because they are higher in sugar, watch how much of each fruit you eat. Fruit makes a great snack, salad, or addition to oatmeal.
Tofu, edamame, and soybeans
Plant-based diets can have significant effects. As demonstrated by beans, soybeans, edamame, and tofu are all heart-healthy alternatives that satisfy hunger and serve as a substitute for red meats, which are heavy in saturated fat.
Fish
Choose a salmon patty in place of a burger or a tuna steak in place of a conventional steak. Fatty fish like salmon, herring, tuna, or mackerel should be substituted for fatty portions of red meat like beef, hog, veal, and lamb because they contain the polyunsaturated fat omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties and can help decrease LDL.” Your lipid panel is getting better overall,” Zumpano says. “By substituting fish fat for red meat fat, you’re actually promoting a general decrease in cholesterol.”
Avocado and olive oil
Because it contains more monounsaturated fatty acids and less saturated fat, extra virgin olive oil can raise your HDL and promote heart health. The qualities of avocados are comparable. “In a heart-healthy diet, avocados and extra virgin olive oil should be used as staple fats to replace saturated fats like butter and margarine and white condiments like mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream cheese,” advises Zumpano. “When you begin substituting plant-based fats for animal fats, your cholesterol will drop and your heart health will improve overall.”