Foods to Help Lower Cholesterol

Good nutrition and exercise is key to lowering your cholesterol. Below is a list of the top 10 foods to help you lower your cholesterol.

1. Apples.

Apple pectin is a soluble fiber that helps draw cholesterol out of the system. The flavonoids (Quercetin) in apples act as a powerful anti-oxidant that seems to short-circuit the process that leads "bad" LDL cholesterol to accumulate in the bloodstream.

2. Beans.

Beans and legumes are an excellent source of soluble fiber and high in vegetable protein. By properly combing beans with brown rice, seeds, corn, wheat or rice you can create a complete protein. Properly combined beans become an excellent substitute for red meat protein that is high in saturated bad fat.

3. Brown Rice.

The oil in whole brown rice, not its fiber, lowers cholesterol. Brown rice can be combined with beans to form an inexpensive complete protein low in saturated bad fat. A study published in November 2003 of the America Journal of Clinic Nutrition cites the importance of having a diet rich in whole grains vs. refined grains as a means to help maintain a normal body weight.

4. Cinnamon.

A study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduces blood sugar levels in people with type 2 Diabetes. It also reduces triglyceride, LDL bad cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels among this group.

5. Garlic.

Garlic is helpful in preventing and reversing heart and cardiovascular disease by lowering total cholesterol, LDL bad cholesterol and triglycerides while raising HDL good cholesterol.

6. Grapes.

Flavonoids in grapes protect LDL bad cholesterol from free radical damage and reduce platelet clumping.

7. Oats.

Oats when eaten regularly lowers total cholesterol levels by 25% or more within a very short time period (usually one to three months).

8. Salmon.

The major health promoting components in salmon include: Omega 3, EPA/DHA, protein, and antioxidants. All of these components have a favorable effect cardiovascular health and lipid profiles. The American Heart Association recommends that people include at least two servings of fish per week, particularly fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and herring), in their diets.

9. Soy Products.

The top health promoting components in soybeans are isoflavones and soluble fiber. Isoflavones act like human hormone that can lower LDL bad cholesterol and raise HDL good cholesterol. All soy products (soybeans, soy nuts, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc.) are complete proteins.

10. Walnuts.

The monounsaturated good fats in walnuts have a favorable effect on high cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors. The Food and Drug Administration recently cleared a health claim stating "eating 1.5 ounces per day of walnuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease".

The Importance of Low Cholesterol Food

Increasingly larger numbers of people suffer from heart disease as a consequence of high blood cholesterol levels. There are many factors that enable the accumulation of cholesterol inside the organism, but the major cause is considered to be unhealthy diet. Unhealthy diet and bad eating habits can considerably increase blood cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol is produced by the liver and it is required inside the body for fulfilling several roles: cellular protection, hormonal synthesis (testosterone and estrogen), vitamin synthesis and fat digestion. The organism needs very small quantities of cholesterol to sustain its normal activity and inappropriate diet can quickly enable cholesterol to accumulate in excess. The problem with cholesterol is that it cant be dissolved by the body fluids and it is also difficult to eliminate. When in excess, cholesterol enters the bloodstream and deposits in different places inside the body. Cholesterol can form plaque inside arteries by adhering to the inner arterial walls, causing blockage. If cholesterol deposits inside the coronary arteries (heart arteries), there is a very high risk of heart disease.

A healthy diet and appropriate exercise are vital in reducing blood cholesterol levels. It is very important to eat properly, as high cholesterol food can quickly increase blood cholesterol levels. You should consume only low cholesterol foods and products that contain unsaturated fat. Many foods contain high levels of cholesterol: meats, eggs, dairy products, sweets. Also, foods that are rich in saturated fat can also facilitate the accumulation of cholesterol inside the body: organ meats, pork, poultry.

Low cholesterol foods should replace foods that contain high quantities of cholesterol and saturated fat. Sweets contain simple carbohydrates which increase body fat deposits and facilitate the accumulation of body cholesterol. It is advised to consume at most 300 mg of cholesterol a day. Considering the fact that a single egg contains around 300 mg of cholesterol, eating properly can be quite tricky. Not at all! You should note that only foods of animal origin contain cholesterol, while vegetal foods are cholesterol free. Although vegetables and fruits contain fat, they actually dont have any cholesterol. Low cholesterol foods also contain less saturated fat and therefore they are a lot healthier for the organism.

It is very difficult to follow a diet based only on fruits and vegetables. To diversify your diet, you can consume low cholesterol foods such as: egg whites, lean meat, fish, chicken. Other low cholesterol foods are skim milk and low-fat yogurt. You should avoid eating fried foods, as they are very unhealthy. Bake or boil low cholesterol foods and eat plenty of vegetable soups. Home-cooked meals should be preferred over supermarket foods. However, if you dont have time to cook for yourself every day, there are various low cholesterol food products available in supermarkets. It is important to understand that processed, low cholesterol foods available in convenience-stores can actually contain high quantities of saturated fat and they arent a very healthy option. Although you can consume such food products once in a while, your diet should be based mainly on healthy, cholesterol free or low cholesterol foods.

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But Won't Eating Chicken and Fish Lower My Cholesterol?

Most people and many health experts believe that cholesterol will be lowered by substituting chicken, turkey, and fish for red meat.

So instead of eating steak and potatoes for dinner, they change their eating plan to chicken and potatoes. Instead of eating a roast beef sandwich, they eat a turkey sandwich. Instead of eating a hamburger, they eat fish and chips.

Most people, including health and fitness experts, have no idea how much cholesterol they are getting in their daily diets and overall health plan. They, although well-intended, are misinformed. They simply dont realize how much cholesterol is in all animal products, including chicken and fish.

As Dr.John McDougall states in his book, Ten Days to Dynamic Health, in a 3.5 ounce serving,

Pork contains 90mg of cholesterol
Beef 85mg
Chicken 85mg
Turkey 82mg
Lamb 82mg
Trout 73mg
Milk 49mg

Notice that chicken contains just as much cholesterol as beef; turkey almost as much cholesterol as beef; and trout is not close behind.

On the contrary, all plant foods have exactly 0mg of cholesterol.

Are you serious about lowering your artery-clogging and disease-causing cholesterol? If you are, then eat a plant-based diet.

All animal products, including cheese and milk, are loaded with cholesterol and that extra cholesterol accumulates in your arteries and veins, raising your blood pressure and your chances of getting a heart attack or stroke.

Are you ready to take charge of your body, your health, and your life?

Load up on the best foods for human health and fitness that are choked full of the superior nutrition, little fat, no cholesterol, and fewer calories for natural and easy weight loss.

Avoid and ultimately eliminate animal and dairy products that have excess fat, cholesterol, animal protein, chemicals, calories, and absolutely no fiber.

The logical choice: plant foods in the form of fresh whole fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, whole grains, and whole legumes.

So the next time you eat chicken or fish with the thought that those foods will lower your cholesterol, think again!

How I Lowered My Cholesterol Level By 56 Points

About a year ago, my wife encouraged me to get my cholesterol level checked. She had recently had her cholesterol checked and the results were normal. I went ahead and scheduled a test and fasted for twelve hours prior to the blood work being done.

The test itself was uneventful. The nurse checked my blood pressure, asked a few questions, and withdrew some blood. I was told to expect results within a few days. If I didn't hear from the doctor's office with a few days, I was to call back.

Turns out the results came back within a couple of days. I didn't need to call the office as they decided to call me. Instead of telling me what the results were, I was told to come in as soon as possible to review the results with the doctor.

By the time I hung up the phone I am assuming the worst. How bad could the results be if they are not willing to discuss the results over the phone? Needless to say, I returned to the doctor's office that same day.

The results were not good. My total cholesterol was 244, the LDL level was 161, and my HDL was 38. For reference, the recommended results at the time of my test were less than 200 for total cholesterol, less than 100 for LDL and greater than 40 for HDL. It was explained to me that the LDL level, the "bad" cholesterol, needed to drop. On the other hand, the "good" cholesterol, HDL, needed to increase. One of the ways that HDL increases is through exercise. LDL can decrease by a change in diet.

To be honest, I was shocked with the results. I thought my results would be in line with my wife's since we have the same diet. No, that was definitely not the case.

I also found out that your genes, your family, has a lot to do with your cholesterol levels. It didn't take me long to figure out what side of my family was to blame for my higher than expected cholesterol results. I found out from my father that when he first had his cholesterol checked just a few short years ago that his total cholesterol was well over 300! He immediately started taking medicine to reduce his total cholesterol.

So what did I do to drop my total cholesterol by 56 points in 8 months?

Three things I did to help reduce my cholesterol level are:

1) Exercise more - I added about 20 minutes of walking each day to my work schedule. I have a desk job and don't get a lot of physical activity during the working hours. I make an effort every day to walk at least 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon at work. This is in addition to the moderate running I do a few times a week.

2) Oatmeal - Do you know how easy it is at work to trot down to the vending machine and buy a candy bar when you are hungry? As a matter of fact, it is too easy. I now have a container of oatmeal, along with a box of raisins for flavoring, at work. When hunger pangs hit, I go to the area kitchen, microwave a half cup of water, add some oatmeal and raisins, and enjoy.

3) No more cheese - I personally think this has had the biggest impact on my cholesterol reduction, a low cholesterol diet. Since I am not a doctor, I can't be certain. I immediately stopped eating slices of cheese. For whatever reason, I love cheese. Regularly, I would eat a slice of cheese or a couple slices of cheese. I knew that couldn't be too good for me. This doesn't mean I don't have any cheese in my diet. I'll eat a burrito with cheese or a pizza with cheese, but I no longer eat slices of cheese.

That's about all I did, I didn't go on a restrictive diet or start taking medicine to reduce my cholesterol. I made a few lifestyle changes that I have faithfully implemented. It's been more than 365 days since I have been "cheese" free.

Like I said, my total cholesterol dropped by 56 points, from 244 to 188 in eight months. Also, my LDL cholesterol dropped from 161 to 124, still high but better than it was. The only disappointment was that my HDL remained the same at 38.

I hope that my story has inspired you to be aware of your cholesterol level and if needed, take action. While specific recommendations related to reducing cholesterol are best left to professional health care personal, I'm hoping that you will take care of yourself.

Don Williams shares information about a low cholesterol diet and what it can do for your health.

Causes Of Cholesterol

It was said previously that cholesterol can only adhere to the inner lining of the artery if it has been damaged. How does that harm come about? Evidence points to free radical damage as being one of the causes of arterial wall damage. Free radicals are found all around us. They are highly reactive substances like polluted air, radiation, tobacco smoke, herbicides, and also naturally within our own bodies as an offshoot of common metabolic processes.

Free radicals attack and harm cells altering ordinary cell activity. You see it surrounding you each day causing metal to rust and fruit to go bad. This is why we take anti-oxidants like vitamins c, e, beta-carotene and selenium, to counter the attack of free radicals.

Heredity additionally plays a part in high cholesterol. Your genes can influence your ldl by affecting how rapid it is made and removed from your blood. There is one specific form of inherited high cholesterol that will frequently lead to premature heart disease. It is called familial hypercholesterolemia and can play a part in 1 of 500 people.

Weight is furthermore a aspect in determining your ldl. If you have a high ldl level and are overweight, shedding those pounds may help you to lower it. Also, losing weight also helps to lower triglycerides and elevate your hdl.

Age and gender should be considered as well. Women, pre menopause, for the most part have total cholesterol levels that are lower then men. This changes as men and women grow older. Levels will climb until reaching age 60 to 65. For women, menopause can cause an increase in ldl and a decline in hdl. After the age of 50 women frequently have higher total cholesterol levels than men of the same age.

Alcohol also plays an abnormal role in cholesterol levels. It increases hdl however at the same time it does not lower ldl. The medical community does not know for sure whether alcohol can reduce the chance of heart disease. We know that too much alcohol can damage the liver and heart muscles leading to high blood pressure and raised triglycerides. There are just too many additional risks to even contemplate the use of alcoholic beverages used as a way to defend against heart disease just because it increased the hdl.

Stress and personality may contribute to heart disease. Associating a certain group of personality and heart disease has been suggested for many years. This goes back to the type a and type b personality study performed in the year 1959. Type a behavior for the most part manifests in a chronic awareness of time, urgency, aggressiveness and also striving for fulfilment. Type a people will propel themselves to meet exact deadlines which are most frequently self-imposed. They possess feelings of being always under pressure and also frequently multi-task to the point of doing two or three things at one time. To say that type a persons are driven is an understatement. They consider themselves indispensable. Every one of these traits add up to a state of constant hassle.

Over a lenghty period, stress has shown to elevate blood cholesterol levels. The way it does this is by affecting habits. An instance is over indulging in fatty foods as a way of consoling themselves when people are under stress. The saturated fat and cholesterol in these foods contribute to high levels of blood cholesterol. Type b behavior is characterized by just the opposite set of traits. Type b people are less preoccupied with achievement, less rushed and for the most part more easygoing people. They do not allow themselves to be rushed or have any specific pressure in or with regard to deadlines. They are less prone to angry outbursts and also seem to be better equipped to making distinctions among work and play. Studies completed over a period of eighteen months to two years with a group of both type a and type b people, indicated that type a participants had a 31 % increased chance of developing heart disease. This was further substantiated by the finding of more deposits of plaque in the coronary arteries of type a people. Type a behavior as well appears to display an association with other risk factors like smoking, higher fat levels, increased secretion of adrenaline. All of which increases the oxygen demand of the heart muscles and releasing fatty acids from the body fat.

It is essential to note that there are not only two different types of people. Each person is an individual and putting them into limited categories will not properly classify them.

Natural Ways To Lower Cholesterol

No medications can do a greater job then treating your high cholesterol naturally. If you are one of those fortunate people who do not possess cholesterol worries, you may wish to take steps to maintain it that way! What can you do to help your cholesterol levels? Here is a small list of things that can be done:

Purchase the leanest cuts of meat you can come across. Regularly replace poultry (without the skin) and also fish for red meat. Change over to low fat cottage cheese and yogurt, reduced fat hard cheeses and also skim or 1 percent milk. Consume no more then four egg yolks during a week. Normal bodies adjust to increased intake by cutting back on regular product. On the other hand, since one third of people are cholesterol responders their blood cholesterol does go up when they consume cholesterol.

You need to use low fat cooking methods to stop the cholesterol from coming back in to your diet. Use fat-free marinades with liquids like wine, tomato or lemon juice. Eat vegetables and complex carbohydrates lowest fat foods of all are vegetables, fruits, grains (rice, barley and pasta), beans and legumes. You can lower your LDL levels and raise your HDL levels just by losing some weight. Eat less fatty foods and more fruits, vegetables, grains and beans and it is a good bet that you will gradually drop the pounds. Eating about three ounces of walnuts a day is shown to decrease blood cholesterol levels by 10% more than an already low fat, low cholesterol diet.

Supposedly some of the non-alcoholic ingredients in red wine raises hdl and suppresses the body from producing ldl. The ldl lowering effect of red wine and grape juice comes from a compound that grapes produce normally to resist mold. Tobacco smoke is actually more damaging to the heart than the lungs. Not only does it reduce the amount of oxygen the heart receives, it also actually damages the cells of the heart, rendering them less able to produce energy and thereby weakening the heart.

Exercise regularly. There is good evidence that suggests exercise can lower ldl cholesterol and boost hdl cholesterol. Both aerobic exercise such as jogging, swimming, walking, bicycling and cross country skiing and also strength training like lifting weights or using weight machines all promote the improvement of cholesterol levels. An analysis of 11 studies on weight training showed that this exercise lowered ldl by 13 percent and raised hdl by 5 percent. If you lift weights, use light to moderate weights and do many repetitions.

Read more articles and stay updated with the latest cholesterol news at Normal Cholesterol

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Lowering Cholesterol Naturally: It Is Still The Best Approach

When we were kids my brother used to say, "Do drugs." I think he was kidding.

The truth is using drugs has become an epidemic. I dont just mean illegal drugs. You and I both know that prescription drugs are widely abused in our culture. The first line of defense for many people is to reach for the medicine cabinet.

The television commercials dont help either. The pharmaceutical companies have taken their message to the airwaves. We are now encouraged to ask our doctor if Brand-X is right for us.

I am standing on my soapbox a bit here. But my complaint is not against the many medicines that are available to help restore us to health. My complaint is against using drugs when there are better alternatives.

Lowering cholesterol naturally may still be your best option in the war against heart disease.

The third report of the Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III) agrees with me on this. Actually it would be better to say that I agree with ATP III. What does ATP III recommend?

Actually ATP III recommends the same approach you have probably heard many times before. The recommendation is to make changes to your lifestyle. At the very core of these changes we find the subject of diet.

Why diet? Because what we eat and dont eat has a strong influence on how our bodies handle cholesterol. For example

ATP III recommends that 25-35% of our total daily calories be composed of fat. To me that seems like a lot of fat. However, less than 7% of the total should be composed of saturated fat. You want to reduce cholesterol? A good place to start is to cut down on your saturated fat intake.

Saturated fats negatively influence LDL cholesterol levels. Most cholesterol management focuses on lowering LDL cholesterol. Saturated fats cause LDL levels to rise. So every time we grab that burger on the run and I love a good burger we are making it more difficult for our bodies to keep our LDL levels down.

While we are on the subject of fats we should mention trans-fats. How much of our daily caloric intake should be composed of trans-fats? 0%!

Trans-fats are a different breed. They are actually not saturated fats at all. In fact they are polyunsaturated fats that have been pushed toward saturation by a process called hydrogenation. Structurally they are still unsaturated. However they act very differently in our bodies than do other naturally occurring fats.

Many researchers have implicated trans-fats in the heart disease epidemic of the 1990s. That is a loud message. It is a message that tells us to stay away.

How do you know if you have trans-fats in the foods you eat? Read the labels. Unfortunately food labels do not list trans-fats unless to say the product contains none. Look instead for the phrase partially hydrogenated. You might be surprised how many of the products in your panty contain partially hydrogenated oils.

Now for some good news about fats.

ATP III recommends that up to 30% of your caloric intake be in the form of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats in most cases - do not have the same negative influence on cholesterol as do saturated fats and trans-fats.

And just like those commercials that promise you more if you buy now there is more to unsaturated fats than merely not having a negative influence on cholesterol.

Take omega-3 for example. Omega-3 fatty acids are among the essential fatty acids that can actually improve your cholesterol profile. Among other things, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to

raise HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol)
reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol)
lower triglycerides
reduce blood platelet stickiness

You can get more omega-3 through certain vegetative sources like broccoli and flax seeds. But the more potent forms are found in cold-water fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna.

If eating fish everyday is not an option for you try omega-3 supplements. There are some that do not produce a fishy aftertaste and contain no metal pollutants.

Reducing your intake of saturated fats and increasing unsaturated fat consumption is one way to lower cholesterol naturally. So before you ask your doctor if Brand-X is right for you, consider making changes to your lifestyle. A grilled tuna sandwich may not be as readily available as that burger that has been sitting under the heat-lamp for three hours, but it may help you reduce your risk for heart disease. Got Fish?

For more information on natural cholesterol management please use the links below:

Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes

Cholesterol Management and Omega-3

Optimal Heart Health Home Page

Optimal-Heart-Health.com is dedicated to promoting heart health by natural means. If you are concerned with doing everything you can to have a healthy heart then you dont want to be uninformed.

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