5 Foods To Help Lower Cholesterol
There are many foods that can cause cholesterol to rise, here are 5 foods that will help you to lower your cholesterol levels
Published
In the UK alone, more than 2 in 5 people have high cholesterol levels. This is a staggering statistic when you realise that higher cholesterol levels can often lead to higher risks of heart disease.
The foods that we are eating can play a huge role in our cholesterol levels. In particular, fatty and processed foods can significantly increase levels of cholesterol. In addition to this, being overweight, smoking, drinking alcohol, and not exercising enough can also be huge contributing factors.
One of the most effective ways in which you can work to lower your cholesterol is by changing your diet. Cutting out unhealthy and fatty foods, especially saturated fats, can help to reduce your cholesterol in as little as 4 weeks.
In this article, we will take a look at what it means to have high cholesterol and also take a look at different types of foods that can help you lower your levels.
What Does High Cholesterol Mean?
High cholesterol is unfortunately a condition that many people will suffer from, without really knowing. This is mainly because the condition does not have any physical symptoms and can only be diagnosed or visible through a blood test.
Having high cholesterol means that you have too much of the fatty substance cholesterol in your blood. If your levels of cholesterol are too high then it can end up blocking your blood vessels. This can therefore increase the chances of heart problems or even strokes.
5 Foods To Help Lower Cholesterol
There are so many different foods that can contribute to high cholesterol levels. However, there are also a huge amount of foods that can help to reduce levels within your blood. These are the foods that you should be focusing on to keep your heart as healthy as possible and to reduce the risk of any serious heart or health problems.
Oats
Oats are undoubtedly one of the most effective foods for reducing levels of cholesterol in the blood. This is because oats contain a specific type of soluble fibre known as beta-glucans.
Beta-glucans are a very impressive form of fibre that forms a gel-like texture within the gut. This gel texture helps to prevent the absorption of cholesterol in your digestive tract and therefore helps to support and maintain healthy levels within the blood.
It is said that daily consumption of oats in the form of porridge, or any other forms, can see a reduction in cholesterol levels within just 5 - 6 weeks. Therefore, consuming oats daily for a prolonged period can cause significant drops in cholesterol levels.
Avocado
Another very popular food that most people do not know can have incredible benefits for cholesterol levels is avocado. This is mainly down to the fact that the fruit is full of amazing polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats which both have amazing benefits for heart health.
Stringent research has found that the incredible levels of fibre that can be found in avocados can improve cholesterol levels and cholesterol quality in the blood. This can therefore result in much lower and healthier levels of the harmful fatty substance.
Adding just two servings of avocado a week can help to increase the health of your heart dramatically. It can take just five weeks to see a healthy decline in cholesterol levels when adding regular servings of avocado into your diet.
Almonds
Almonds are also a great food for helping to lower levels of cholesterol. This is because the foods are incredibly low in saturated fatty acids, rich in unsaturated fats, & contain fibre and phytosterols. These work together to create a very effective way of lowering levels of cholesterol.
Almonds have for years been linked with heart health benefits, and their ability to lower cholesterol is just another one to add. Over the years, numerous studies have shown that nuts, and almonds in particular, are incredibly effective at reducing cholesterol levels.
Taking between 20g and 169g of almonds every day can lower cholesterol levels in as little as 4 weeks. This makes them an incredibly effective food at helping to lower cholesterol levels and improve overall heart health.
Oily Fish
Saturated fats can cause cholesterol levels to rise. However, the polyunsaturated fats found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring trout and others can be incredibly beneficial. These oily fish are very effective at helping to reduce the levels of cholesterol in your body and also help to improve the overall health of your body.
Fatty and oily fish is so impressive at lowering cholesterol due to its incredibly high levels of omega-3. Omega-3 can significantly reduce a type of fat found in the blood called triglycerides. This then helps boost ‘good’ and lower harmful cholesterol.
Eating these oily fish two to three times a week can significantly lower cholesterol levels. This is for two reasons. One of the reasons is through the reduction of triglycerides and the other is by replacing meats that are full of saturated fats that can increase cholesterol levels within the blood.
Fruit & Veg
Taking cholesterol out of the equation, we all know that we should be trying to get our 5 a day. But when taking cholesterol into account, both fruits and vegetables can have a hugely positive impact on lowering high harmful levels in the blood thanks to the soluble and insoluble fibres that they contain.
A huge amount of the fibres within fruit and vegetables can reduce and in some cases completely block cholesterol from being absorbed from the intestines and into the blood. This can then have a significant impact in reducing the risk of heart diseases or cardiovascular products and also improve overall health and wellness within the body.
Swapping out unhealthy snacks such as chocolate, sweets, or crisps for healthier alternatives such as fruits and vegetables can hugely benefit your health. They also allow your body to get so much more goodness such as minerals, vitamins and fibres that can help to fight off potentially harmful things, such as high cholesterol, from occurring.
Special Mention: Cholesterol Lowering Drinks
As well as foods, several different drinks could also help to lower cholesterol in the blood. Adding a few of these different drinks into your daily routine could help to increase your overall health & well-being, whilst also lowering the risk of poor heart health.
- Green Tea - It features several powerful antioxidants that could be linked with lowering cholesterol.
- Soy Drinks - Soy is extremely low in saturated fats and can therefore help to manage cholesterol levels.
- Tomato Juice - This features a compound called lycopene which helps to lower lipid levels as well as reduce cholesterol.
- Smoothies - Smoothies are an incredible way of increasing your intake of fruit & veg and therefore increasing fibre which in turn helps with lowering cholesterol.
- Cocoa Drinks - Cocoa has incredible antioxidant properties and studies have shown that it could help to lower cholesterol in the blood.
Cholesterol Lowering Supplements From Supplement Hub
We understand that for some people it can be very difficult to get the right amounts of fibre or the right nutrients into your body through diet alone. That is why we stock a huge range of healthcare practitioner-approved supplements that are designed to support healthy cholesterol levels and also lower levels in those who suffer from high cholesterol.
Our cholesterol supplements are an easy way of making sure that your body gets all of the fibre and minerals that it needs to support a healthy heart. Here at Supplement Hub, it is our goal to ensure that all of our customers can live healthier, happier lives.
