In today’s health and body-conscious society, one of the things that we are encouraged to focus on and keep tabs on in our own health is cholesterol. If you didn’t already know, cholesterol is a compound that is found in most body tissues, but if you have an unnaturally high level of cholesterol, you are putting yourself at higher risk of things like coronary heart disease. Luckily, cholesterol is something that can be managed effectively through diet change. Unluckily, though, some of the specially-made foods like those in the Benecol range can be really expensive. Instead, here are some foods that naturally reduce your cholesterol levels.
Out of all the whole grains, oats contain the highest amount of soluble fibre, which is known to be able to lower overall cholesterol levels in your body.
Olive oil contains an effective mixture of antioxidants that have been proven to be able to lower ‘bad’ cholesterol and restore health.
Barley is another whole grain that contains a lot of soluble fibre like oats, which makes it yet another tasty and healthy options to add your diet for cholesterol purposes.
Salmon contains really high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are amazing when it comes to helping improve your levels of HDL, and subsequently lower your cholesterol.
Flax seeds are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fats, and you can also gain the benefits in the form of flaxseed oil too.
The antioxidants that are found in apples and natural apple juice can help inhibit the oxidisation of LDL, which in turn can lower your cholesterol.
One single cup of black beans can provide more than five grams of cholesterol-lowering soluble fibre, which is pretty amazing!
Walnuts contain a unique makeup of fats that make them particularly effective when it comes to helping to lower cholesterol. I recommend that you eat them on their own, though, as they are not much good sprinkled on top of a chocolate cake!