List of Foods That Help to Lower Cholesterol

Are you concerned about your cholesterol level?  Following are two lists that will give you useful information when making food choices to lower your cholesterol.

Laurel on Health Food has a good list of foods that help to lower cholesterol.  It contains the top 14 foods and includes some of the research on cholesterol.  The foods contained on Laurel's list are:

• Whole grains and oats: These keep your carotid artery walls thin.
• Blueberries: The pterostilbene in blueberries has been found to be effective in lowering cholesterol levels.
• Pistachios, walnuts, almonds: These have omega-3 fats and antioxidants that will reverse arterial damage from saturated fats.
• Avocados, olives, olive oil: These contain unsaturated fats that are good for your heart and increase good cholesterol levels.  
• Flax seed oil: This has been shown to lower blood pressure in men with high cholesterol.
• Cranberry and grape juice: The antioxidants raise good cholesterol and slow down oxidation of bad cholesterol.
• Fish and fish oil: Many studies have shown the effectiveness of fish and fish oil in lowering cholesterol.
• Black soybeans: These not only lower cholesterol but help prevent obesity and reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.   
• Pomegranate juice: This helps prevent the build-up of plaque.
• Yogurt (probiotics): Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Lactobacillus Reuteri help lower the levels of cholesterol by preventing re-absorption into the blood.

Mayo Clinic List

Another good list of foods that help to lower cholesterol is found on the Mayo Clinic website.  It lists the top five foods or food groups that are important to help your cholesterol levels decrease.  They are:

• Oatmeal, oat bran, and high fiber foods - Soluble fiber reduces bad cholesterol and reduces the absorption of it into your blood.
• Fish and the omega-3 fatty acids - Omega-3 fatty acids reduce blood pressure and can keep blood clots from forming. Other sources are ground flax seed and canola oil.
• Nuts - These will keep your blood vessels healthy as they are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids.  They are best when eaten without added salt or sugar.
• Olive oil - This lowers bad cholesterol. The best product to use is extra-virgin olive oil.  Two tablespoons a day is recommended and it can replace oils used in salads and cooking, or added to a marinade.
• Any foods with added plant sterols or stanols - These substances block the absorption of cholesterol and can be found as additives in foods.  They do not affect the good cholesterol.

Good Versus Bad Cholesterol

Cholesterol is needed by our bodies to make us healthy and function normally.  The cell walls in your body need cholesterol to produce vitamin D and bile acids that help fat to digest.  Cholesterol gives us energy and supports the nervous system.  It helps the brain function and is necessary for growth.  It also builds and maintains hormones.     

Everyone has good and bad cholesterol and when the level of the bad cholesterol is too high, that can cause problems.  High cholesterol, or hypercholesterolemia, is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.  The problem comes from having too much bad cholesterol or too little good cholesterol.

You get cholesterol from your body or the food you eat.

• 75 percent of your blood cholesterol comes from your liver and other cells
• 25 percent comes from the food you eat in the form of animal products

HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is the good cholesterol. It keeps the bad cholesterol from sticking to the artery walls.  HDL will protect you from heart disease and stroke while too little of it will increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. 

LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is the bad cholesterol.  It can clog arteries which can lead to serious heart related problems.  Many people inherit a gene that causes their body to produce too much LDL, so heredity plays a role in your cholesterol levels.