Discover the best foods to reduce your cholesterol.

Discover the best foods to reduce your cholesterol.

Can a bowl of oatmeal help prevent a heart attack? How about a handful of peanuts, walnuts or even your boiled yam, potatoes and plantain drizzled with soya, sardine or olive oil? A few simple twists to your diet - like these - may be enough to stave off a cholesterol problem.

Oatmeal
Oat meal contains soluble fibre, which reduces the low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol. Soluble fibre is also found in such foods as kidney beans (you can get canned from supermarket. And your spaghetti sauce for a wholesome meal), apples, pears and barley. Soluble fibre appears to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in your intestines. Gel-like soluble fibre binds bile (which contains cholesterol) and dietary cholesterol so that the body excretes its.
Five to 10 grams of soluble fibre a day decreases LDL cholesterol about 5%. Eating 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 4.5 grams of fibre – enough to lower your cholesterol.

Nuts
Studies have shown that walnuts can significantly reduce blood cholesterol. Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, walnuts also help keep blood vessels healthy and elastics.
A cholesterol – lowering diet in which 20% of the calories come from walnuts may reduce LDL cholesterol by 12%. For a 1,200 calorie per day diet, a little less than 1/3 of a cup of walnuts is about 240 calories, or 20% of the total calories per day.
All nuts are high in calories, eating too much can cause weight gain, and being overweight places you at higher risk of heart disease. To avoid gaining weight, replace foods high in saturated fat with nuts. For example, instead of using cheese, corn beef or mayonnaise in your salad, add a handful of walnuts, peanuts or cashew s with soya.

Fish and omega-3 fatty acids
Studies have also shown that those who ate less saturated fat and more omega-3 fatty acids found in fish had a lower rate of heart disease than other individuals who indulged in highly saturated meals. Research since that time has supported the heart – healthy benefits of eating fish. Apart from fish, other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil and soya oil.
Omega-3 fatty acids are noted for their triglyceride- lowering effect, but they also help the heart in other ways such as reducing blood pressure and risk of blood clots. In people who have already had heart attacks, fish oil – or omega – 3 fatty acids – significantly reduces the risk of sudden death.
Doctors recommend eating at least two servings of fish a week. The highest levels of omega – 3 fatty acids are in mackerel, herrings, sardines and salmon. However, to maintain the heart – healthy benefits of fish bake or grill it.

Cut fat first.
The first step for a heart – healthy diet is to reduce your intake of bad fats – especially saturated and trans fats. If cutting out bad fat is not enough to reduce your cholesterol, you may want to try adding soluble fibre , nuts and fish to your diet. If you need more boost from your foods, try adding foods fortified with plant sterols like margarines and orange juice.