Survive Longer By Lowering Your Cholesterol With These Foods

foods-that-lower-cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in your body and in many foods. Your body needs cholesterol to function normally and makes all that you need.

However you can end up with too much cholesterol because of the foods you eat and the rate at which your body breaks down cholesterol.

Excess cholesterol can build up in your arteries. After a while, the deposits narrow your arteries, putting you at risk for heart disease and stroke.

Preparedness is not always about the end of the world. The ‘here and now’ of high cholesterol levels can affect your long-term survivability.

Here are several foods that you can eat to help lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol levels:


 

Oats – Oatmeal – Bran

Studies have shown that oats and bran can significantly lower LDL blood cholesterol levels.

Consider eating a bowl of oatmeal every day. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces the amount of cholesterol put into your bloodstream.

Oat bran in particular has been proven to reduce cholesterol levels and can be added to cereals or homemade breads.

 

Garlic

Apparently half a clove of raw garlic a day can significantly reduce LDL cholesterol levels.

It can easily be added to salads, or tossed in with your favorite stir fry.

 

Flax Seeds

Not only does this food provide you with cholesterol lowering capabilities, but it also provides many other important nutrients, such as omega 3.

Flax seeds can be easily added to your cereal in the morning, or topped on salad as an oil.

 

Olive Oil

Olive oil contains a powerful mix of antioxidants to lower your cholesterol.

Replace butter, lard or mayonnaise with olive oil.

Olive oil is high in calories so go easy on the amount.

 

Almonds – Walnuts

A handful of nuts – about an ounce and a half – each day of walnuts and/or almonds will help keep blood vessels healthy.

Be careful though, as nuts are high in calories and could lead to weight gain.

 

Fish

The American Heart Association recommends you eat at least two servings of fatty fish per week.

Fatty fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, known to improve heart health.

These fish contain the most omega-3 fatty acids:

Albacore tuna, Halibut, Herring, Lake trout, Mackerel, Salmon, Sardines

 

Fruits

Apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits contain pectin, a soluble fiber known to lower cholesterol levels.

 

Avoid Foods That Raise Cholesterol

It makes sense, but the best way to lower cholesterol is to not eat foods that raise cholesterol levels.

Watch out for saturated fat – the white “marbling” in meat when it’s cold. Choose extra lean meats rather than fatty meats.

Drink low fat or skim milk instead of regular varieties.

Use olive oil instead of butter.

 
Not everyone is affected the same way by eating foods that may raise cholesterol levels, but if you’re one of those with high LDL cholesterol (the ‘bad’ cholesterol), common sense indicates that it may be prudent to research which foods may be making it worse and which foods may be better to eat instead.

 

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL)

Make up the majority of the body’s cholesterol. It’s called “bad cholesterol” because high levels can lead to heart disease and stroke.

High-density lipoproteins (HDL)

Called “good cholesterol” because high levels reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke. Scientists think that HDL absorbs bad cholesterol and carries it to the liver, which then flushes it from the body.

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are not cholesterol, but are a different type of fat. High levels can raise the risk for heart disease. Triglycerides are often part of a blood test doctors do to check cholesterol levels.

 

Desirable Cholesterol Levels

according to the CDC

Total cholesterol Less than 200 mg/dL
LDL (“bad” cholesterol) Less than 100 mg/dL
HDL (“good” cholesterol) 40 mg/DL or higher
Triglycerides Less than 150 mg/dL

12 Comments

  1. there are other things, notably coffee (regular or decaf) which causes your body to produce cholesterol, independent of food consumption. Some sites will tell you that instant or drip coffee affects this minimally, however others do not. On a personal level, years ago I quit drinking coffee (instant and drip) for a year, and my cholesterol plummeted to abnormally low.
    —————————————————————————

    Drinking your coffee black or decaffeinated to keep cholesterol in check? Think again.
    ————————————————————————————————————————————
    Cafestol,((( as well as Kewhol) a compound found in coffee, elevates cholesterol by hijacking a receptor in an intestinal pathway critical to its regulation, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears in the July issue of the journal Molecular Endocrinology.
    ——————————————————————————————————————————————
    In fact, cafestol ((( as well as Kewhol ))) is the most potent dietary cholesterol-elevating agent known, said Dr. David Moore, professor of molecular and cellular biology at BCM, and Dr. Marie-Louise Ricketts, a postdoctoral student and first author of the report
    ————————————————————————————————————————————-

  2. Plants do not contain LDL (bad cholesterols) LDL is an animal by product.

    However foods like avocados, coconut products, olive oil canola oil etc etc etc are still FATS. They will put calories into you. You need to exercise to get rid of the commensurate amount of incoming energy.

    Prawns are high in body cholesterol however when you eat prawns you do not absorb this cholesterol – same as other fish.

    Some fish have fatty properties and oils, again you need to work these excess calories off if you over eat them.

  3. Research Lecithin. We didn’t ever take statins prescribed but then read that they totally stop the liver from performing its job which is to make good cholesterol.
    We take Lecithin now twice a day.
    Statins destroy the liver….again, do the research.
    Stop trusting BIG PHARMA.

    We stacked the statins on a shelf till we just didn’t ask the PCP at VA to send them any longer. :-)

  4. The “link” between cholesterol and heart disease is not as well researched as people have been led to believe. Some people, including doctors, believe it’s more a myth than a fact.

    Most people with doctor-determined “high cholesterol” are prescribed statins and the people take them without question. Until they can’t tolerate the statins (or they have no insurance to pay for their Rx). Anyone who has thoroughly researched statins knows the inherent dangers w/ this drug (and how intolerant many people are to statins).

    Most heart disease is due to inflammation, not cholesterol. But Big Pharma doesn’t want the general public to know this so the myth continues to be perpetuated.

    Those who want to reduce their cholesterol without using statins can go the route of Red Yeast Rice and/or Polycosinol. Cholesterol levels are easy to obtain and most people will see reduced levels of cholesterol through these supplements and/or w/ a few different choices of food.

    Lecithin is what some people have used but most lecithin is made from soy. And most soy is now GMO.

    1. I developed a reaction to statins so I stopped taking them. My doctor told me to look into Red Yeast Rice. So I looked it up when I got home. Turns out one of the active ingredients in RYR is the same as … lovastain (Mevacor).

      1. Not a doctor but I do take statins. There are more than one type of statin. The one in Lipitor causes me grief while the one in Pravachol doesn’t. Both are generic now. Your mileage…

        1. I too cannot take statins without issues (muscle and joint aches and pains – even when taking CoQ10 which is supposed to help with this). Apparently LOTS of people have these side effects, which the industry is covering up. I wonder how many have it, and do not know it’s related to their statins?

          My current doctor has me taking Niacin – which does help with cholesterol numbers. Currently taking 500mg in the morning and then the evening. They now make Niacin in a form that doesn’t cause hot-flash side effects.

  5. Lynn is 100 percent correct and even mainstream medicine is catching on. The biggest changes to our diets involve sugar, processed foods, and trans fats. Saturated fat isn’t the issue.

  6. when lipitor was first introduced, the manufacturer paid doctors $100 for each prescription they wrote for that drug. that alone should tell us that the medical profession has become nothing but a conduit to funnel money to big pharma. last time i saw my endocrinologist, i mentioned that my lab report stated that a “hemoglobin A1c” (a measure of average blood sugar levels over time) of 6.1 or lower is now considered normal. before 2012, normal was 7.0 or less; in 2012 they changed it to 6.5, now to 6.1. i said that these changes were being made so that big pharma could sell more diabetes drugs; he didn’t even try to deny it, just said “yes, that’s true.” many cardiologists will tell you that your total cholesterol should be 150 or less; a cholesterol count that low would probably kill most people, and make many more very ill. use modern medicine with extreme caution, and remember: it’s always about the money!

    1. Great point! My total cholesterol was 150-ish for years; that my GP started doing the tests in his office – suddenly it was 290-300! OMG, I needed Lipitor. That went on for several years, until I started having lab work done every 6 months for other things, with the cholesterol also being done that way. Viola! it was back to 155, where it stays. Have to wonder if the maker of Lipitor supplied my doc’s office cholesterol tester?

  7. My total cholesterol has been under 120 for 8 years. You will not die.

    LDL under 65 most of the time, HDL low 40s. Very active.

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