A low cholesterol diet is associated with better cardiovascular health and a lower body weight. You can add foods that lower cholesterol to your healthy diet and boost your overall wellness as well as protecting your body from future disease.
It’s easy to create a low cholesterol diet using heart-healthy foods. This meal plan will give you great ideas of how to make over your diet so that you are reaping the maximum benefits from the food you eat. When you eat foods that lower cholesterol, you can feel good about your family’s diet.
Get Healthy and Fit This Summer with Foods That Lower Cholesterol
Soluble Fiber Lowers Cholesterol
Beans and other legumes, yams, oats, barley, Brussels sprouts, and berries are all packed with soluble fiber. Oats are one of the proven foods that lower cholesterol. Beans are an especially important part of a lower cholesterol diet. A recent study found that eating one serving of beans each day lowered LDL cholesterol and promoted artery health. The benefit was especially pronounced in men.
Avoid Foods that Raise Cholesterol
You may have the impression that saturated fats such as butter and coconut oil are good for you, but if you want to lower your blood cholesterol, you need to limit these foods in your diet. Other foods to avoid include processed meats, organ meats, trans fats, and foods high in cholesterol like egg yolks.
Plant Proteins are Better than Animal Proteins
Even the leanest animal proteins contain some saturated fat and can raise your cholesterol. It is best to balance your diet with more plant proteins than animal proteins. Beans and tofu can replace meats in your diet. It is also worth checking out the health benefits of fish, which is loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids. While fish is not one of the foods that lower cholesterol, it has fantastic benefits for the entire cardiovascular system, including lowering inflammation.
Making Over Your Diet
When you are adapting your diet, you don’t have to sacrifice good taste. Here are some meal makeover ideas that will keep you on the path to wellness.
For breakfast, skip the refined grains and sugar. Have whole wheat toast with an egg. Use egg whites if you are especially concerned with cholesterol. Top your egg with salsa and eat it with a banana or another piece of fruit.
During the day, snack on heart-healthy favorites like blueberries, which are also packed with antioxidants.
For lunch, make a salad with chickpeas and crunchy vegetables. You can add almonds to make it more filling and to provide more heart-healthy unsaturated fats and Omega-3s. Be sure to stay away from commercial salad dressings, which can be unexpectedly full of sugar and fat. Use a light homemade vinaigrette instead.
For dinner, have a delicious piece of pan-seared salmon. Salmon is one of the most nutritious fish in the sea. Serve it with steamed vegetables and a baked potato. Skip the butter and sour cream, and serve your potato with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. You’ll enjoy your potato just as much, and you won’t have the damaging health effects of butter and sour cream to worry about.
For dessert, stick to fruits and berries. With its impressive amount of antioxidants, dark chocolate is also a heart-healthy dessert. When you become accustomed to eating foods that lower cholesterol, you won’t miss the high-fat indulgences.
Final Thoughts
Eating a diet low in cholesterol for heart health doesn’t have to be difficult. Eat as many foods with soluble fiber as you can, since soluble fiber helps to lower cholesterol. It also helps you feel fuller longer. Substitute as many animal proteins as you can for plant proteins. Plant proteins have no fat and are accompanied by tons of heart-healthy fiber. Cut out refined sugars and flour from your diet. Instead, snack on fruits and vegetables. Limit dairy fats like butter, and substitute them for fat-free dairy whenever possible.
When you remake your diet, you will find that your cholesterol is lowered, increasing your chances of living well into old age without any heart problems. Anyone can eat a low cholesterol diet if they put their mind to it.
Community
