Foods That Help Lower Cholesterol

Here are some eating strategies to help lower cholesterol. The LDL is the "bad guy" that we need to lower and the HDL is the "good guy" that we need to maintain to prevent heart attack and stroke.

So, good choices in eating cholesterol-lowering foods and an exercise plan can help.

1. Start your morning with a bowl of  oats that can lower LDL cholesterol that has beta glucan, a substance in oats that absorbs LDL, which your body then excretes. Recipe: Blueberry Almond Oatmeal
2. Tempranillo red grapes are used to make certain red wines like Rioja, from certain studies shows that it can lower LDL levels. If red wine is something you don't drink, try eating red grapes. Recipe:Red Wine Chicken with Garlic
3. Salmon and fatty fish like sardines and herring has omega-3 fats that can prevent heart disease and replacing saturated fats with omega-3 fats can raise good cholesterol to your benefit. Recipe:Penne w/salmon & roasted vegetables
4. Certain nuts like walnuts, almonds and cashews can lower your LDL but they are high in calories, so practice portion control about 1.5 ounces of nuts a day. Recipe:Maple raisin yogurt w/walnuts
5. Beans, such as black, kidney and pinto are good for your heart because of the fiber, which has been shown to slow the rate and amount of absorption of cholesterol in certain foods. Recipe:Black bean chili
6. White tea is a great defense against LDL cholesterol levels and black tea can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Try drinking tea more often then coffee. Recipe:Tea frosty
7. Ah, sweet chocolate is a powerful antioxidant that helps build HDL cholesterol levels. Remember to choose dark chocolate, it has 3 times more antioxidants then milk chocolate. Recipe:Chocolate dipped strawberries
8. Butter is high in unhealthy fat, so you would need to switch to a margarine with plant sterols, such as Promise activ or Benecol, to help lower cholesterol. Plant sterols are compounds that reduce cholesterol absorption. Recipe:Whipped sweet potatoes
9. Green leafy vegetable such as spinach contains lots of lutein which protects the eyes from macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. Also, spinach guards against heart disease and keeps cholesterol levels normal. Recipe:Spinach orange salad
10. Avocados are a good source of monounsaturated fat, a good fat that helps cholesterol. Since avocados are high in calories and good fat, use in moderation. Recipe:Mexican chicken avocado soup
11. Garlic is found to lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots, reduces blood pressure and protect against infections. Try for 2 to 4 fresh cloves a day in recipes. Recipe:Ginger & garlic green beans w/red bell pepper
12. Olive oil is full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, which lowers LDL bad cholesterol and it can trim belly fat.  Use it to make salad dressings, marinate chicken and fish, or roast vegetables. Recipe:Scallop asparagus linguine

All of this helpful info came from  Prevention Magazine and recipes that can get you started on a healthy lifestyle adapted from below website.

Prevention.com