Some Good and Tasty Foods that Help to Lower Your Cholesterol
It isn’t surprising that we are a nation of high cholesterol statistics. If you turn on any of the media, all you see and hear are food advertisements. Marketing moguls have specialized in presenting some of the worst for you food in a way that makes your mouth water. Hard to resist, we often succumb to these tasty morsels and the results are showing in our waists and cholesterol levels. Fear not, there are some rather good things you can add to your diet that will help fight the cholesterol battle.
There are two cholesterol readings that affect your health. The LDL rating is the bad cholesterol. Lowering your LDL will assist in lowering the overall number. Anyone with a total rating of two hundred or higher is considered at risk for systemic problems, including heart disease. Registered dieticians and nutritionists encourage that you add just a few things to your diet that can help to lower the LDL number.
Flaxseeds are a little miracle LDL lowering item. Eating ground or certified organic flaxseed oil will help in the absorption process of the body. If you are cooking with them, garlic that is chopped will bring out a flavor and make flaxseed a nice additive. Flaxseed contains two crucial elements that help to keep the cholesterol down: soluble fiber and lignan. The lignan assists in the body’s ability to flush the bad cholesterol from the system. Since I mentioned garlic, let’s continue on the topic. Garlic assists in keeping the liver from making cholesterol. Chopped or sautéed, garlic is incredibly tasty and, combined with flaxseed, will be a double whammy additive to keep that LDL count down.
Believe it or not – apples are an incredible cholesterol fighter. But, you have to remember to keep the skins on. The skin of the apple contains polyphenols which are a rich antioxidant and fight against the dreaded build up of plaque. However you enjoy an apple, whether eating it whole or slicing/chopping – wash the apple well and eat the skin for the best results.
Almonds are one of nature’s little miracles. Eating almonds with the skins will add flavonoids and a hefty pack of vitamin E. Almond butter made with the skins (and organic) is an incredible treat on whole wheat or multi-grain bread.
My grandmother used to tell us that oatmeal was good for us, and, as always she was right. Oatmeal contains beta-glucan and that little character eats up cholesterol before it has a chance to enter into your system. We used to have hot oatmeal with a touch of cinnamon and honey (both are good for you), mixed with a touch of milk. Add some toast with almond butter and you have a breakfast that will keep the cholesterol count down.
We have all heard the benefits of beans, but they really are an excellent method to help in the cholesterol fight. Beans are made of a type of fiber that ferments in our colons and the good bacteria in the colon eats the bean fibers and sugars to transmit them to the liver and keeps the bad (LDL) cholesterol from being produced. A rather odd description – but, this is how the body works. If you are not someone that likes beans, as they are, try a good bean-based chili using kidney beans or cannelloni beans that are used in Italians soups and dishes.
A good healthy recipe that can combine many of the above? Try a nice spinach salad, add sliced apples, almonds, flaxseeds that are sautéed with a touch of garlic. I like to throw a few garbonzo beans (chickpeas) into the mix. Use your favorite dressing and you have one of the healthiest meals around.
The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.
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19 Dec 2011