It’s no secret that certain foods can help lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which causes plaque to build up in your arteries, which can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. However, the good news is that many of these cholesterol-lowering foods are delicious and easy to incorporate into your daily diet without having to compromise on the flavors and enjoyment of food. We show you the most delicious healthy and “bad” foods for lowering cholesterol according to WebMD.
Let’s treat ourselves to dark chocolate
If a list begins with dark chocolate, it can only be good. However, this delicious delicacy is on the right list, because the flavonoids and antioxidants it contains actually help reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol in our body. Of course, the degree is also very important here, since this delicacy is rich in saturated fat and sugar, in addition to the aforementioned beneficial ingredients. If we are reluctant to include it in our diet for the latter, we can achieve a similar effect with good quality unsweetened cocoa powder, which we use boldly in cooking or baking.
That’s why we eat avocado.
Avocado is not only a divine and delicious topping for toast or raw material for guacamole, it tastes much more than that. The oleic acid it contains helps reduce “bad” cholesterol in the bloodstream. Consume it boldly, put it on a sandwich, or try sweet-smelling avocado oil for cooking.
Let’s raise our glasses
Excessive alcohol consumption can have a number of harmful consequences, but if done in moderation, the resveratrol in red wine, which is naturally present in the skin of red grapes, helps protect blood vessels from damage by reducing the risk of blood clots and LDL cholesterol. levels _ However, do not consume more than one glass a day.
Tea time, not just at five
Both black and green tea contain powerful antioxidants that can lower cholesterol. Green tea is a bit more effective anyway, as it’s made from unfermented leaves, making it less processed. Just be careful not to sugarcoat your brain.
But a handful of dried fruit is also good.
The high levels of unsaturated fatty acids in nuts, such as almonds, walnuts or pistachios, can also help lower LDL levels. If possible, always choose the salt-free or low-salt version and do not eat more than 40 grams a day, as its caloric content is very high.
Those wonderful whole grains
Barley, oatmeal, and brown rice, among others, contain soluble fiber that has been shown to lower cholesterol. So it may be worth substituting our traditional white flour dough for brown white rice. And oatmeal for breakfast becomes a real cholesterol “killer” if we even add bananas or apples to it.
We eat these fish often.
Fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines or halibut are all very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce blood triglycerides. Roasting or grilling 20-22 deca per week can already help maintain our health.
A fish that you should eat often Sardines are a blue fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and perhaps slightly less contaminated with mercury than larger fish. We’ll show you why it’s worth consuming, how much to eat, and how to choose the best.
The versatile olive oil
Because olive oil is a plant-based fat, it is a better choice than animal fats when it comes to lowering our “bad” cholesterol levels. It is great for any dish, it can be eaten raw in salads, we can use it for baking and cooking.
Soy is good for that.
Eat it in the form of soy milk, tofu or soybeans, this fruit is very high in protein and can lower cholesterol levels by 5-6 percent up to 25 grams a day.
Babra goes to the game
Black beans, variegated beans, kidney beans, lentils – we could list long legumes that are rich in fiber, which can retain cholesterol and thus leave our body along with waste products. According to a recent study, consuming 120 to 130 grams of legumes a day can lower LDL cholesterol levels by up to 5 percent.
Fruits to lower cholesterol
Whichever variety of pear or apple you choose, you can be sure that it will be full of pectin, a type of fiber that lowers cholesterol. Lemon is just as effective at this task as berries.
always eat vegetables
Not in vain our mother said in our childhood that vegetables should always be eaten. Most are very high in fiber, but contain few calories. Eggplant or okra is full of soluble fiber as well as antioxidants. Not only do they help fight “bad” cholesterol, they also help maintain our overall health with a number of valuable ingredients.
Fortified foods
It is becoming more and more common in Hungary to “fortify” certain foods, such as muesli bars, yogurts or fruit juices, with plant sterols. Sterols are natural parts of plants that help less cholesterol to be absorbed into our bloodstream. Research shows that sterols can lower our cholesterol levels by as much as 6 to 15 percent—just be careful not to put too many calories into your body in the meantime, as some of these foods can have a lot of added sugar.
