Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the so-called bad cholesterol that clogs up arteries. But adding the super healthy food we listed here to you diet, and watching your proportions as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can lessen or even eliminate the effects of bad cholesterol in your system.
It's easy to eat your way to an alarmingly high cholesterol level. The reverse is true, too — changing what foods you eat can lower your cholesterol and improve the armada of fats floating through your bloodstream.
1. Oats
2. Salmon & fatty fish
Omega-3 fats are one of the natural health wonders of the world and have been shown to ward off heart disease, dementia, and many other diseases. Now these fatty acids can add yet another health benefit to their repertoire: lowering cholesterol. According to research from Loma Linda University, replacing saturated fats with omega-3s like those found in salmon, sardines, and herring can raise good cholesterol as much as 4%. (Here's everything you need to know about buying the healthiest fish possible.)
3. Cabbage and Kale
Often listed as one of the world's healthiest foods, cabbage, kale, and other green leafy vegetables help with cardiovascular support, especially when steamed. "When you eat cabbage, fiber-related nutrients in this cruciferous vegetable bind together with some of the bile acids in the intestine in such a way that they simply stay inside the intestine and pass out of your body in a bowel movement, rather than getting absorbed along with the fat they have emulsified," says the World's Healthiest Foods.
4. Beans
Beans, beans—they really are good for your heart. Researchers at Arizona State University Polytechnic found that adding ½ cup of beans to soup lowers total cholesterol, including LDL, by up to 8%. The key to this heart-healthy food is its abundance of fiber, which has been shown to slow the rate and amount of absorption of cholesterol in certain foods. Try black, kidney, or pinto beans; each supplies about one-third of your daily fiber needs.
5. Soy
Eating soybeans and foods made from them, like tofu and soy milk, was once touted as a powerful way to lower cholesterol. Analyses show that the effect is more modest — consuming 25 grams of soy protein a day (10 ounces of tofu or 2 1/2 cups of soy milk) can lower LDL by 5% to 6%.
6. Garlic
Garlic is a food with many healthy benefits. It’s been found to help the cardiovascular system and there is some evidence that it can even act as an anti-fungal and an antibiotic. In terms of cholesterol management, garlic has been found to interfere with the liver’s ability to make cholesterol.
7. Olive oil
Good news: This common cooking ingredient can help your health. Olive oil is full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which lower LDL cholesterol—and have the welcome side effect of trimming belly fat. Use it to make your own salad dressings, marinate chicken and fish, or roast vegetables.
8. Red Wine
A glass of red wine has fewer carbohydrates than a cocktail and contain antioxidants such as flavonoids which are believed to boost good cholesterol. But medical experts agree that you should still limit your red wine intake to about 1 or 2 glasses a day.
9. Spinach
This popular green food contains lots of lutein, the sunshine-yellow pigment found in dark green leafy vegetables and egg yolks. Lutein already has a reputation for guarding against age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. Now research suggests that just ½ cup of a lutein-rich food daily also guards against heart attacks by helping artery walls "shrug off" cholesterol invaders that cause clogging. Look for bags of baby spinach leaves that you can use for salads or pop in the microwave for a quick side dish.
10. Apples
Apples are full of compounds called polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that help prevent the buildup of plaque in the arteries. To get the most cholesterol benefits from an apple, don’t peel it. The highest concentrations of polyphenols are found in the skin and outer flesh.