Ways To Control Cholesterol At Home – Foods That Help Lower Cholesterol
If you are looking for solutions to lower your cholesterol, why not start with actions that you can control?
As we all know, cholesterol is a substance found throughout our body that is responsible for regulating important functions such as the formation of bile acids and the type of hormones. It is indeed essential for the proper functioning of our bodies, but when it is present in the blood at higher than normal levels, it produces hypercholesterolemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). But keeping it under control is not as complicated as some people think, and you don’t even need to take any medication unless of course, your doctor tells you to.
First, you should start by eating a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and grains that contain fiber. Here are a few foods that can help lower your cholesterol in a healthy and natural way.
The most effective foods for lowering cholesterol are those that contain high amounts of soluble fiber and protease. Therefore, it is recommended that you choose foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, sterols, sterols, and plant compounds that inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.
Here are a few foods that contain these properties, and when combined, you get a balanced diet that helps lower cholesterol.
Avocado
It is one of the favorite fruits of Chileans because of its versatility and excellent flavor. Avocados are high in fiber and rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which can lower LDL cholesterol levels. However, that’s not all. Clinical studies have confirmed that adding avocados to the diet can lower total cholesterol by 9-45%, especially in patients with hypercholesterolemia.
In addition, avocados are the fruit with the highest sterol and sterol content. And we already know that these components inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.
It is recommended to consume avocado (1/2 to 1/2) daily in your main diet to help lower cholesterol.
What more could you ask for from this wonderful fruit?
Whole Grains
Whole grains are another good-for-you food that can help lower your cholesterol levels. To date, several studies have confirmed the relationship between whole grain consumption and lower blood cholesterol levels, so be sure to include whole grains in your diet.
Now, if you want to choose from a variety of whole grains, there are some that are particularly helpful in lowering cholesterol levels: Oatmeal.
Walnuts
Walnuts are one of the few plant foods that are effective at regulating cholesterol, despite their high-fat content. That’s why they should be included as a morning snack, as part of a meal, or, depending on your preference, in your diet.
Some of the best nuts are walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, and almonds, but the best are macadamia nuts. This dried fruit can lower LDL cholesterol levels by 4%, and that’s not all. Also, this fruit can increase HDL cholesterol by 7% when consumed daily for 4 weeks.
It is recommended to eat about 40 grams (a handful) of roasted nuts without salt, but it is better to eat them for breakfast.
Vegetables
You may have heard about the importance of eating legumes at least twice a week. This is another reason to include beans in your diet.
Legumes are very high in fiber and can help take care of your heart. For example, lentils can lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol, which, like macadamia nuts, can help with heart health.
Peas are also good for health, lowering total cholesterol by 5% and LDL cholesterol by 8%. However, if you are looking for the best vegetable for lowering cholesterol, then you should turn to soybeans.
Soybeans are a legume that is rich in oils and proteins. It is also the most effective legume for lowering cholesterol. Eating natural soy or its derivatives (such as tofu and milk) can lower total cholesterol by 11% and LDL cholesterol by 5-25%. This, combined with its ability to raise HDL cholesterol levels, makes it your heart’s best ally.
To maximize the properties of soy, it is recommended that you consume 11 to 50 grams of soy or your favorite legumes. Soybeans, peas, lentils, etc. They provide 60% of your daily recommended fiber intake. Incorporate them into your menu three times a week and see how your cardiovascular health improves.
Vegetables
Always look at the color of your food before you eat it. Why would you want to do this? It’s because a balanced diet is full of color. That’s because the key is to eat foods that bring a variety of vitamins and minerals to your body, and their color can give you clues about their properties.
Green leafy vegetables are high in sterols and sterols, which inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines. For example, spinach is a good ally for lowering cholesterol, especially if you have a fatty diet, because it helps to remove cholesterol from the stool.
It is also recommended to use olive oil in your diet because it is rich in sterols that can lower LDL cholesterol to 14 mg/dL. Just make sure it is extra virgin to enjoy its properties.
A natural inhibitor of Omega-3 and HMG-CoA
There are several enzymes in our body involved in cholesterol production, including HMG-CoA reductase (officially abbreviated as HMGCR) as well as lipoproteins and cells. This is an enzyme that controls the rate of the mevalonate pathway, a metabolic pathway that produces cholesterol.
Certain foods are very high in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, or omega-3s, which inhibit HMG-CoA, which controls cholesterol production.
Foods rich in omega-3 include flaxseed, chia, spinach, radishes, sprouted alfalfa, some sprouted legumes, and seed oils and nuts.
Another natural inhibitor of the HMG-CoA enzyme is lycopene, found in fruits such as guava, grapefruit, watermelon and tomatoes (especially after dehydration in the sun). These can lower cholesterol by 10% when consumed at 25 to 35 mg per day. As a serving size guide, 100 grams of dried tomatoes contain 45 mg of lycopene.
Foods Rich in Anthocyanins
We have already mentioned the importance of color in the diet, because their pigmentation also shows its properties. For example, the green color of cilantro is due to the presence of chlorophyll, the orange color of pumpkin is due to the presence of carotenoids, and the purple color of eggplant and blueberries is due to anthocyanins.
What are anthocyanins? Anthocyanins are pigments found in fruits, vegetables, flowers and leaves that give them their bright, attractive colors such as red, orange, blue and purple.
But in addition to their beautiful color, fruits and vegetables containing anthocyanins can also help people with high cholesterol lower their LDL cholesterol levels by 16-25%. Therefore, people with soaring cholesterol levels and high cholesterol should eat 100 grams of anthocyanin-rich foods such as raspberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, blackberries, eggplant and purple cabbage every day.
