By: Tom Savage
According to the American Heart Association website, over 106 million adults in America have elevated cholesterol levels which are at least 200 mg/dl. Those are staggering statistics. While there are medications which may help, you may be wondering if there are more natural ways to lower your cholesterol levels. Fortunately, there are – by making some changes to your diet and incorporating heart healthy foods and healthy snacks, you can start seeing positive changes in your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Following are five heart healthy foods to begin adding to your diet today:
1. Salmon and other fatty fish
Many studies have shown that salmon and other fatty fish contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which help increase HDL cholesterol, while lowering LDL cholesterol. Omega-3 is found in the fish oil, and also helps protect the heart by lowering blood pressure.
Experts recommend eating a minimum of two servings per week of heart healthy foods like salmon. Other excellent fatty fish include rainbow trout, sardines, anchovies, white albacore tuna, mackerel, and herring.
Canola oil and flaxseed are also good sources of omega-3 fatty acids if you don’t particularly care for fish.
2. Oats
The benefits of oats, including oat bran and oatmeal, have been touted for a long time. If high cholesterol is a concern, they are excellent heart healthy foods. Oatmeal and oat bran contain soluble fiber, which has been shown to lower your LDL cholesterol. It does this by lowering the amount of cholesterol absorbed by your intestines.
It takes only 5 to 10 grams of this type of fiber each day to positively impact your cholesterol levels. Since a cup and a half of cooked oatmeal has about 6 grams of fiber, just add some fresh fruit, such as blueberries, and you will easily reach 10 grams.
Pears, apples, beans, whole grains and prunes are also very good sources of soluble fiber and thus heart healthy foods as well. Heart healthy oatmeal snacks, like Corazonas Oatmeal Squares, are made with whole grains. Both include a good source of fiber and protein which make them excellent heart healthy snacks and the Corazonas Oatmeal Squares have an added benefit of 800mg of cholesterol lowering plant sterols.
3. Nuts
One of the best healthy snacks you can eat is a handful of nuts. Walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans and pistachios are all healthy snack foods which will help lower your cholesterol. They contain many nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids and plant sterols, both of which help reduce cholesterol levels.
Walnuts in particular are great for lowering cholesterol in your blood. They contain high amounts of polyunsaturated fats and are good for your blood vessels. Although nuts are heart healthy foods, they are also very high in calories so don’t overdo it. Sprinkle a few on salads instead of croutons, or toss a handful in granola for breakfast.
4. Soy
Soybeans contain many heart healthy nutrients, including plant sterols and soluble fiber. They also contain phytochemicals known as isoflavones, which also help to increase your HDL levels while reducing LDL levels. Soy is also an excellent food because it’s a complete protein. Good sources of soy include tofu, soy milk, soy nuts, and tempeh.
5. Foods fortified with plant sterols or stanols
Foods are now available which have been fortified with sterols or stanols — substances found in plants that naturally help block the absorption of cholesterol.
There are numerous products on the market today which are fortified with plant sterols. These products include margarine, orange juice, snack foods, and bread to name a few. Adding plant sterols to your diet is a clinically proven way to help naturally reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol by more than 10 percent. The daily amount of plant sterols needed for maximum results is between 1.5 to 3 grams per day. A typical serving in one of these products provides anywhere between 0.4 grams to 1.0 gram of plant sterols. Be sure to look on the label to know whether you are consuming plant sterols or plant sterol esters; you need to consume approximately 63% more plant sterol esters to get the same benefit as you would from plant sterols. Plant sterols are found naturally in plants and the average American gets approximately 250 mg of plant sterols from their diet. Vegetarians get approximately 400mg of plant sterols as they consume a significantly great number of fruits and vegetables daily. It takes approximately 10-12 pounds of fruits and vegetables to get the same cholesterol lowering benefits of that you find in a 1oz bag of Corazonas Heart Healthy chips.
Plant sterols or stanols in fortified foods don't appear to affect levels of triglycerides or "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Nor do they interfere with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins — vitamins A, D, E and K.
The American Heart Association recommends foods fortified with plant sterols for people with LDL cholesterol levels over 160 milligrams per deciliter (4.1 mmol/L).
You can begin decreasing your cholesterol levels today by adding these five heart healthy foods to your daily diet. Add other foods or healthy snacks high in soluble fiber and omega-3 fatty acids and you may find that you never need medication to control your cholesterol.
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About The Author-- Find out more about heart health and what you can do to optimize the health of your heart and lower your cholesterol.
