Foods to Have:
Almonds 1 ounce
Apples 1 cup
Flaxseeds 2 tablespoons
Garlic 1 clove
Oatmeal (uncooked) ½ cup
Extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon
Psyllium husks 6 grams
Soybeans (cooked) 1 cup
Best food groups: Whole grains, berries, legumes
Also consider: Plant sterol spreads, berries, legumes
What is cholesterol and why is it important to keep under control?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance, produced in the liver that is vital to every cell of every living creature. By the way, plants don't have livers, so there's no cholesterol in them—unless your vegetables are cooked in lard, slathered with butter or sauces, or wrapped in bacon, you never have to worry whether they contain cholesterol or not. Cholesterol is important to have on hand to make hormones, such as testosterone, estrogen, and vitamin D. So if cholesterol is so great, why are we always trying so hard to get rid of it?
Too much cholesterol can have devastating effects on the body, such as hardening of the arteries that contributes to heart disease, high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease, erectile dysfunction, and the list goes on. According the World Health Organization, one out of every six people in the United States has high cholesterol, and it is estimated that 20 percent of all strokes and 50 percent of heart attacks have been linked to high cholesterol.
Elevated cholesterol can be caused by a variety of factors:
- Family history
- Not exercising
- Smoking
- Being overweight
- Eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet
- Side effects of medication and/or underlying diseases of the kidney and thyroid
- Hormonal changes with age, such as menopause for women and andropause for men
Optimal cholesterol levels should be lower than 200 mg/dl, but that number doesn't mean that much by itself. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is often referred to as "bad" cholesterol because of its association with plaque buildup on the walls of arteries, where plaque can restrict blood flow to the heart—or worse yet, a piece of it could break off and lodge in an artery, shutting off blood to the heart or the brain, resulting in a heart attack or stroke. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) has been dubbed "good" or "protective" cholesterol because it helps clear cholesterol from the body. Here is a chart that shows the ranges.
Did you know? Believe it or not, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, and more women have elevated cholesterol than men do! According to the Centers for Disease Control, food is not the only tool in your cholesterol management tool belt.
The CDC also suggests that you:
- Engage in daily physical activity—optimally, your exercise routine should be moderate to vigorous in nature for at least thirty minutes every day. This lowers LDL and raises HDL cholesterol.
- Although it is good to add cholesterol soaking–up foods to your diet, reducing saturated fat can lower cholesterol even more and protect against plaque formation.
- Talk to your doctor to see whether lipid lowering medications are right for you.
Supplements: Plant sterols and stanols (collectively known as phytosterols) resemble cholesterol and attach themselves to cholesterol binding sites allowing cholesterol to flush out the digestive tract. You can find phytosterols in plant foods such as fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils. "Unfortunately, eating lots of plant foods will provide you with only about 300 to 400 mg/day—far less than the recommended amount of 2 to 3 g required to lower LDL cholesterol," says Dr. Janet Brill. "Hence, phytosterols must be taken in supplement form or from the myriad of phytosterol-fortified products on the market, such as margarine spreads, and fortified foods, such as orange juice and yogurt." Phytosterols are sold in supplement form; however, they could possibly lessen the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Nutrition experts recommend increasing fruit and vegetable intake and/or to take a multivitamin at the opposite time of day of taking plant sterols.
Did you know?
A study featured in Nutrition Journal found that female subjects with metabolic syndrome reduced total cholesterol levels and harmful LDL cholesterol after a four-week period of consuming a strawberry-based beverage. David J. A. Jenkins, MD, PhD, has also found that antioxidant levels in strawberries can improve and maintain the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering diets. The cholesterol-lowering effects of strawberries may be attributed to antioxidants, fiber, or phytochemicals such as elagic acid, found in abundance in this berry.
The discovery of okra dates back to twelfth-century Ethiopia, where it was a fave of Egyptians. Its popularity grew and okra was even consumed as a coffee substitute. Okra came to the United States via the slave trade and is now most popular in the South as part of Creole and Cajun cooking. Okra is the "quicker picker-upper" when it comes to cholesterol. It's a good source of fiber, most of which is in the soluble form. Dr. Jenkins found that cholesterol-lowering foods, such as okra, that were part of his "portfolio" diet were as effective as statin drugs for lowering cholesterol.
Consume 2 to 3 g of phytosterols each day, spread over two meals. "Every food works to lower cholesterol in a specific way; by combining them all, you get an extremely powerful, natural, LDL-lowering approach," say doctors.
Almonds
Almonds are rich in numerous vitamins and minerals as well as heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and contain such plant nutrients as phytosterols, proanthocyanins, and flavanols. Almonds lower both total and LDL cholesterol. Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of nearly any nut, such as almonds, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Apples
Apples are loaded with plant antioxidants. One ingredient in apples, called polyphenols, functions as a powerful antioxidant and prompts the liver to clear LDL cholesterol, limiting plaque buildup. Eating the apple skin ensures the highest level of antioxidant intake. Plus, apples serve up a nice amount of the LDL-cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber called pectin.
Flaxseeds
Like walnuts, flaxseeds are a wonderful source of omega-3 fatty acids, a crucial supporting molecule in the anti-inflammation process and fighting plaque buildup. Flaxseeds also contain two other components that target LDL cholesterol specifically: lignans and soluble fiber, the kind that rids your body of cholesterol. A research study that included thirty participants gave either placebo or flaxseed lignans. It demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in cholesterol levels among the flaxseed group that received 100 mg of lignan (one ounce of flaxseeds contains 85 mg of lignan).
Garlic
Although not a whole heck of a lot of other nutrients can be found in garlic, there are ample plant nutrients, such as alliin, allicin, and saponins, which have been found to help lower cholesterol, thin the blood, and boost the immune system at the same time! Garlic lowers LDL by dampening the activity of the main cholesterol-producing enzyme in the liver. Eating as little as a clove a day has been shown to rev up the body's ability to dissolve blood clots, which can precipitate a heart attack by sealing off plaque-filled arteries.
Oatmeal
Cooked oatmeal is an excellent source of soluble fiber, which is composed of beta-glucan, an indigestible polysaccharide shown to help lower cholesterol levels and significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. The fiber in oats also binds up bile acids in the intestine so that they are excreted. This forces the liver to make more bile acids to replenish the lost supply, which leads to lower LDL cholesterol. They also contain a powerful, unique anti-oxidant that counteracts the destructive and atherosclerosis-inducing damage of unstable free radicals.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Extra-virgin olive oil contains two polyphenols, oleuropein and tyrosol, which are known to also protect against lipid oxidation and oxidative stress, not to mention their anti-inflammatory properties. Also, because this oil is so high in monounsaturated fats, it helps maintain a healthy ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids.
Psyllium Husks
Psyllium seed husk is a very rich source of soluble fiber that helps with digestive health and blood sugar control and binds cholesterol and bile acids in the intestine, thus preventing the body from absorbing it. The government's National Cholesterol Education Program advises that all adults consume 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber per day, but sadly, most get only 3 to 4 grams. Take half your daily dose of psyllium seed husks with breakfast and half with dinner, to avoid overloading your body with fiber, which can cause gas, constipation, or diarrhea. This stuff is very powerful at lowering LDL cholesterol: Just 6 g of this LDL-fighting machine, in conjunction with some of the other foods listed here, can really help to drastically reduce your cholesterol.
Soybeans
While soy is clearly not a meat or fish, protein-wise it rivals both as a complete source of protein. Soy is a terrific replacement for high-cholesterol and high-saturated-fat meats for those who are keeping an eye on cholesterol. Soy can be found in all sorts of products, including soy flour, tempeh (fermented bean curd), tofu, and a host of meat and milk analogues (fake meats and dairy products).
Unfortunately, soy has gotten a bad rap in the press lately, particularly because soy protein contains phytoestrogens—compounds that increase the number and effectiveness of LDL receptors, improving the liver's ability to get rid of cholesterol in your bloodstream but have been under suspicion for stimulating estrogen-driven female reproductive cancers. Don't be misled, as the U.S. government has given soy its stamp of approval as a safe food to help prevent heart disease and leading health experts agree that whole soy foods, consumed in moderation, are safe for the general population and even those with a cancer challenge. Soy is not only a heart-healthy food; it is also associated with reduced risk of cancers. Soy contains isoflavones, hormonelike substances that lower LDL by promoting an increase in uptake of LDL by the liver. Soy also exhibits a strong antioxidant capacity, linked with decreased inflammation of the arteries.