You Are What You Eat: The Best Food for Lowering Cholesterol

You probably know that after being diagnosed with high cholesterol many doctors are quick to prescribe medications. The problem is, many cholesterol lowering prescriptions have bad side effects that can make you very sick. Before going straight to pills to lower cholesterol, you should discuss changing your diet with your doctor. There are some diet changes you can easily make and you can use healthy food for lowering cholesterol.

Free eBook: Cholesterol Control

35 million Americans risk heart attack each and every day thanks to dangerously high ch...

Get Your Copy of Cholesterol Control for FREE Today

More information

Add Almonds

One of the known “superfoods”, almonds are full of healthy fats and antioxidants. Almonds have been used for their health benefits since ancient Greek times and are still sometimes called “Greek Nuts”.

Though many people shy away from almonds because they have a higher fat content than other nuts, the fat in almonds, called monounsaturated fat, actually is highly beneficial in lowering the LDL levels in your blood! LDL is just a fancy name for high cholesterol!

Artichokes Anyone?

Though artichokes aren’t the most popular vegetables, they are actually one of the best cholesterol busting veggies you can eat! Artichokes contain a large amount of cynarin, which is a concentrate that effectively pulls sticky cholesterol directly from your artery walls!

In recent laboratory studies, participants who added artichokes to their diet daily for 6 weeks were able to lower their overall cholesterol by an average of 18%. Even more startling, the participants had a lower LDL by up to 20%!

The Benefits of Beans

If you are looking for a great alternative to red meat, which you shouldn’t eat a lot of anyway, look no further than beans. Beans have tons of protein, like red meat does, but not the fat or cholesterol! Beans contain a huge amount of soluble fiber which is an excellent cholesterol lowering substance.

Another cholesterol lowering benefit of beans comes in the form of Omega-3 fatty acids. These acids are actually a form of good fat, which we mentioned above, can lower LDL levels in your blood, which will directly lower your cholesterol!

Cut Up Some Carrots

Carrots are another fantastic food for lowering your cholesterol. Carrots are an awesome snack and can be eaten raw or cooked. Filled with vitamin C, an additional benefit of carrots is the high amount of soluble fiber, like beans!

In recent medical studies, a group of participants ate two normal sized carrots per day for 3 weeks. After the trial was complete, the cholesterol levels of participants fell an average of 11%!

One Word – Chocolate

Yes. Chocolate can indeed assist in lowering cholesterol. However, take note, we are talking about dark chocolate, not the sweet, creamy milk chocolate everyone loves. Dark chocolate has a dual advantage of lowering the bad LDL levels in your blood but raising the good HDL levels!

Even dark chocolate has fat and calories, so you want to use it sparingly, or as a helpful treat. Luckily you don’t need a lot to take advantage of the benefits. You only need about 1 ounce!

These foods are just a few of the powerful changes you can make in your diet. Remember to speak to a doctor before making any major changes in what you eat and enjoy!