7 Foods that Lower Cholesterol
Here are the top foods that lower cholesterol you should be eating every day to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease.
1. Garlic
Garlic is proven to help prevent LDL cholesterol from sticking to the walls of blood vessels (9). It also prevents your liver from creating extra cholesterol (10). This not only helps prevent heart attacks, ut blood clots as well. Ensuring less effort to push blood through your veins and arteries results in lower blood pressure as well.
Recommended dosage: Consume 2-4 raw garlic cloves daily. Alternatively, incorporate 5-7 cloves of garlic into your meals throughout the day. You may also try garlic supplements.
2. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a wonderful source of soluble dietary fiber. The distinction between soluble and insoluble fiber is an important one, since soluble fiber helps to lower LDL levels by binding to cholesterol in the digestive tract and preventing its absorption (11). On the other hand, non-soluble fiber helps push food waste out of your digestive tract (12).
Other soluble fiber-rich foods include barley, flaxseeds, Brussels sprouts, beans, prunes, apples, carrots, pears, and avocados.
Recommended dosage: Consume 1-2 servings of cooked oatmeal each day. Add fresh fruit and/or nuts if preferred.
3. Cinnamon
This powerful, sweet spice has been found to reduce cholesterol levels by 2-16 percent in people with type 2 diabetes (13). Cinnamon is also a wonderful aid to stabilize blood sugar. Other beneficial spices include turmeric, black pepper, and ginger.
Recommended dosage: make sure not to take more than ½ -1 teaspoon of cinnamon daily.