Knowing which foods elevate cholesterol and which foods lower it helps to keep cholesterol down without drugs in 499 out of 500 individuals.
The vegetarian diet has long been established as the most effective diet to lower cholesterol levels while reversing the process of atherosclerosis. This is largely due to its high fiber content, its richness in nutrients and the availability of essential fatty acids.
Essential fatty acids, meaning the body is not able to make them, work to protect the heart by regulating the blood pressure, heart rate, blood clotting ability and vasoconstriction.
Although many vegetarians eat eggs, their cholesterol levels still remain lower than non-vegetarians. A study that followed 201 participants reported that the vegetarians (73% ate eggs) of the group had significantly lower cholesterol levels than the meat eating participants.
The sugar and high carbohydrate diet that the typical American eats lacks the fiber and the nutrients that the body needs to function. These nutrients work together to repair tissue damage and maintain health and function of all systems in the body. Deficiencies in any one of the essential nutrients will undermine and eventually wear down the health of the individual.
How Fiber Works to Lower Cholesterol and Its Best Sources
Fiber forms a mucus type of mass that binds the cholesterol in the intestinal tract and promotes its excretion. When the diet lacks sufficient fiber, up to 94% of the cholesterol is reabsorbed and recycled for use in the body.
The most effective cholesterol reducing fiber is oat bran and brown rice bran. Twenty three of 25 research studies showed eating two ounces dry or two thirds of a cup cup cooked oat bran cut the cholesterol levels by 16% and the LDL levels by 8.5%., while increasing the HDL levels by 15%. Wheat bran did not affect the cholesterol levels in any significant way. Instant oatmeal dropped the cholesterol by only 6%
Eating a cup of beans daily, another excellent source of fiber, effectively dropped cholesterol levels by 20% while dropping triglyceride levels by at least 17%.
Spreading the intake of the beans throughout the day (half a cup for lunch and half a cup for dinner), made it even more effective. High fiber beans include split peas, lentils, pinto beans and green beans.
Carrots are not only rich in pectin (fiber) but also cholesterol lowering substances. Carrots help suppress the LDL and raise the HDL. Eating two and a half medium sized carrots per day drops cholesterol levels between 11 and 20% while boosting the HDL levels.
French researchers found that when patients added two to three apples a day to the diet the overall cholesterol levels plunged by 30%.
Substances in Food That Lower Cholesterol
Eating half a raw onion a day increases the HDL by 30%. Unfortunately, as the onion is cooked the cholesterol reducing qualities drop. Garlic is also effective in lowering the cholesterol.
There are six separate compounds in garlic with cholesterol reducing qualities. Eating three fresh cloves of garlic per day reduces cholesterol levels by 10-15%, triglyceride levels by 25%, while raising the HDL by 23%.
Research completed at the University of Florida showed that eating two and a half cups of grapefruit daily helped to lower the cholesterol by 10%. The pulp of the grapefruit contains a soluble fiber containing galacturonic acid. This substance helps to lower the cholesterol levels as well as dissolve the plaque that may already be building up in the arteries. Grapefruit juice was not shown to have the same qualities.
According to studies, a substance in blueberries (pterostilbene) helps to lower cholesterol almost as well as commercial drugs and with fewer side effects; substances in pistachios significantly lower the LDLs: substances in walnuts eaten after a fatty meal protect the heart.
Other studies report most of the fatty substances in avocados and olives increase the HDL and provide protection against heart disease and diabetes.
The National Academy of Sciences reported that pomegranate juice helps to reduce plaque buildup while increasing nitric oxide. Nitric oxide works on reducing plaque.
Raw honey was found to be the only sweetener that helps to reduce fatty accumulations in the blood vessels.
Food to Avoid That Raise Cholesterol Levels
Studies have shown that individuals who consume two quarts of whole milk can elevate their cholesterol levels from 180 to 400 in less than two months.
Caffeine in coffee and black tea elevates cholesterol levels. According to the New England Journal of Medicine following a study of 15,000 coffee drinkers, cholesterol levels rose dramatically as the intake of coffee increased.
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Kathryn Picoulin - Dr. Kathryn Picoulin, BSN, ND, PhD received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University of Chico in 1978. After ...
