Low Cholesterol Foods

A diet that is based on low cholesterol foods is a good way to bring health to your heart. Studies have shown that you can reduce bad cholesterol in your system by around 10% to 20% by merely changing your diet and making healthier choices. There are a number of low cholesterol foods that help lower bad cholesterol levels.

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To give you a better understanding about low cholesterol foods, you may read the list below just to make sure that your kitchen is stocked with the right kinds of low cholesterol foods.

Top Low Cholesterol Foods

• Fruits and Vegetables- Fruits and vegetables have antioxidants that help lower the risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis. These are low cholesterol foods that are certainly worth having in your kitchen. Make sure you have oranges, tomatoes, apples and bananas close by because they also contain potassium that helps to lower blood pressure.
• Cranberries- These berries have poranthocyanidins that have been proven to lower the risk of heart disease. Studies have shown that cranberries can also prevent brain damage after a stroke and aid in lowering cholesterol.
• Dietary Fiber- This is probably one of the most important low cholesterol foods that you should include in your diet. Dietary fiber is found in whole grains like oat bran and wheat, beans, fruits and vegetables. Aside from promoting healthy intestines, fiber also lowers cholesterol levels, lowers the risk to breast and colon cancer, promotes balance in blood sugar, and aids in weight management.  Foods such as nuts, legumes and seeds also contain large amounts of fiber and nutrients to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Soy Protein- Soy protein not only should be part of your low cholesterol foods consumption because it lowers cholesterol but it also reduces triglyceride levels and helps fight against bone loss.
• Flaxseed- You may combine flaxseed together with other low cholesterol foods because they contains lignans. Lignans are plant compounds that contain huge amounts of antioxidants to help reduce the risk to some cancers and heart disease. They also contain omega 3 fatty acids that are beneficial in lowering LDL, triglycerides and total cholesterol in the body. To maximize on this vital low cholesterol foods supplement, you may crush whole flaxseeds in a coffee grinder or food processor or eat milled flaxseed. One tablespoon or about 15ml, one or two times a day would be the recommended dosage. You may store the milled seeds in airtight container in your refrigerator or freezer. These will keep for 90 days. Include them in your low cholesterol foods list.
• Fish Oil- Low cholesterol foods such as deep-sea fish and its oil contain beneficial omega 3 fatty acids.  These help to protect the heart by reducing levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and increase HDL levels. These oils help to reduce blood clotting and inflammation, and the risk to heart attack or sudden death. Try to incorporate three servings of fresh fish such as trout, herring, salmon, tuna and mackerel per week. Opt for wild fish to reduce the ingestion of toxins that may come from farmed fish.
• Onions- Onions are a great addition to your low cholesterol foods because they contain a lot of nutrients like chromium and Vitamin C that are good for the heart. The pungent odor in onions comes from the powerful sulphur compounds that are beneficial to the body as well. Onions help normalize blood cholesterol levels. Take one teaspoon of raw onion juice daily to start your day right.
• Garlic- Fresh garlic or aged garlic extract, are one of the top low cholesterol foods that you should always have on stock. It contains sulphur compounds and antioxidants to help lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels and thin out the blood to prevent clotting and plaque build-up in the artery walls. Researches have shown that garlic can mildly lower cholesterol as well as LDL oxidation. It also helps fight cancer and prevents blood clots. Garlic is also said to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral benefits. With as little as 900mg of garlic in a day or about one clove, you can enjoy all these benefits.
• Oat Bran- Oat bran should be one of your low cholesterol foods because it has soluble fiber known as beta-glucan. Beta-glucan reduces the risk of heart disease and lowers cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that with just 3 grams of beta-glucan a day, you can lower your total cholesterol by about 5%. Beta-glucan can be found in other low cholesterol foods such as apples, beans and psyllium. So don’t forget to keep oat bran as one of the low cholesterol foods that you have on stock in your kitchen.
• Red Wine- Chronic and heavy drinking of over 3 drinks a day is correlated to many diseases such as heart and liver diseases. But studies have shown that moderate intake of alcohol, and especially red wine, may help lower the risk of heart disease. Alcohol can help increase HDL and antioxidant activity, and lower the risk of blood clotting. Red wind and dark beer can bring you these benefits. The important thing is to limit your intake to just 1 to 2 drinks per day.
• Policosanol- Researches have shown that policosanol, the waxy substance derived from sugar canes can help reduce cholesterol levels. Policosanol enhances blood-thinning effects like cholesterol drugs.  You may consult your doctor for the appropriate dosage. Make policosanol part of your low cholesterol foods intake.
• Green Tea- Green tea combined with other low cholesterol foods can certainly be beneficial because it contains antioxidants and can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Olive Oil- Olive oil is composed of monounsaturated fat that helps to promote lower LDL and prevent blood clots. This should be combined with other low cholesterol foods such as salads and other recipes in lieu of other oils.
• Probiotics- Probiotics are good, beneficial bacteria usually found in the mouth, urinary and digestive tracts and the area of the vagina. They can also be found in some fermented dairy foods like yogurt. Although the stability and effectiveness of that is still questionable. Probiotics provide benefits such as lower cholesterol levels and enhanced immune function. This is why it is important to use this as a supplement to your low cholesterol foods.
• Nuts- Walnuts and almonds should be part of your low cholesterol foods because they help bring down cholesterol levels. They also contain nutrients such as alpha-linolenic acid, potassium, magnesium, arginine and Vitamin E as well as fiber. Although nuts have high caloric levels, there are some studies that have shown that an increased consumption of nuts by a few hundred calories daily will not cause weight gain and therefore it is recommended to include them in your low cholesterol foods intake.
• Lecithin- Lecithin reduces fatty deposits found in the arteries. It is an essential phospholipid needed by living cells. It can be found in raw vegetable oils, garbanzo beans, cauliflower, split peas, soy beans, eggs, nuts and grains, which should be included in your list of low cholesterol foods.
• Grapes and other Fruits- Grapes and other fresh fruits such as oranges, apples, pomegranates, pineapples and coconut water are low cholesterol foods which you should include in your diet because they help keep the heart in shape. Grapes are great for heart palpitation. Those with heart disease can help control it through an exclusive grape diet.
• Apples- Apples should be part of the list of your low cholesterol foods because they contain hear stimulating properties and those suffering from weak hearts should take advantage of eating apples and apple jams.
• Essential Fatty Acids- Essential fatty acids are low cholesterol foods that reduce cholesterol levels in the body and the risk to atherosclerosis. They can be found in sunflower seed oil, safflower oil or corn oil.

Table 1 - Low Cholesterol Foods

Table 2 - High Cholesterol Foods