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Five Foods That Will Reduce Cholesterol
 Randi L Cardoza
Cholesterol seems to have become a bad word, but it is actually a vital component to the body that produces hormones, cell membranes, and accomplishes many other tasks. Thanks to a sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits, life-threatening cholesterol levels are causing heart attacks and other heart-associated problems at younger ages than ever before. In order to reduce cholesterol, prescription medications are the number one choice of doctors but there is a more natural way, by eliminating foods high in saturated fat and enriching the daily intake with heart-healthy foods.
The Mayo Clinic recommends these five foods to lower bad cholesterol levels: oatmeal, oily fish, nuts, olive oil and foods with added sterols or stanols. Oatmeal is high in soluble fiber, which works as a sort of scrub brush in the system and works in that way on LDL, or bad, cholesterol. The Mayo Clinic as well as most nutritionists recommend at least 10 grams of soluble fiber per day to reduce cholesterol. Other foods high in soluble fiber include beans, apples, barley, pears, and prunes.
It is recommended that oily fish be eaten at least twice per week in order to get the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids they provide. Omega-3 fatty acids can lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and reduce the risk of clotting. A supplement can be taken but it doesn't replace the other nutrients in the fish like selenium and calcium. The fish highest in Omega-3 fatty acids are mackerel, herring, lake trout, and tuna. Other sources of Omega-3 fatty acids include borage oil, flaxseeds, and canola oil.
Walnuts, almonds, and assorted nuts not only reduce cholesterol but also keep the blood vessels healthy. Walnuts especially are high in the healthy polyunsaturated fats. The FDA recommends one serving of unsalted or unsweetened nuts per day to replace foods high in saturated fat. Another source of polyunsaturated fat is fresh avocado.
Olive oil contains cholesterol-reducing antioxidants while leaving the good HDL cholesterol levels virtually unscathed. The darker the color of the olive oil, or the less processed, the better the antioxidant benefits, which is why extra virgin olive oil is usually recommended. Only two tablespoons of olive oil per day is necessary but like most oils it is high in calories, so only that amount per day is recommended.
Foods high in plant sterols or stanols may not sound as easy to come by as the rest of the Mayo Clinic's list, but they can be found in some plant-based margarines, yogurts, and juice drinks. Sterols and stanols are plant-based substances that have the ability to block the absorption of cholesterol, and about two eight-ounce servings of sterol-fortified juice drinks can reduce bad choleserol by up to ten percent.
This list of foods can easily be incorporated into a person's daily intake and results should be seen within a few weeks. With these foods readily available at every grocery store, there's no reason a person with high LDL cholesterol cannot add them to their diet and maybe avoid prescription medication all together.
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