Changing what you eat can help you on your journey of Cholesterol Awareness. The best way to achieve a low-cholesterol diet is to add foods that lower LDL, the harmful cholesterol-carrying particle.
- Oats
- An easy first step to lowering cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or some strawberries for another half-gram.
- Barley and other whole grains
- Like oats and oat bran, barley, and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver.
- Beans
- Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take a while for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal. That’s one reason beans are helpful for folks trying to lose weight.
- Nuts
- Studies show that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Eating ¼ cup of nuts a day can slightly lower LDL.
- Vegetable oils
- Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, and others instead of butter, lard, or shortening when cooking or at the table helps lower LDL.
- Apples, grapes, strawberries, & citrus fruits
- These fruits are rich in pectin, a soluble fiber that lowers LDL.
When it comes to investing money, experts recommend adding several foods that lower cholesterol in different ways should work better than focusing on one or two. Shifting to a cholesterol-lowering diet takes more attention than popping a daily statin. It means expanding the variety of foods you usually put in your shopping cart and getting used to new textures and flavors. It also means planning, creating a menu, and shopping for that menu.
Your Cholesterol Awareness Journey
Dinners do not have to be extravagant, but simple and jam-packed with nutrients. Make a base, for example, chicken or sweet potatoes, and then throughout the week use these bases to create different meals. Also, overnight oats are a great nutritious breakfast that are easy to grab and will keep you full all morning long, and can be made differently for each day of the week.
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