Lower your bad cholesterol with these foods

Published: 07/10/2012 - Updated: 11/26/2016

If your bad cholesterol (LDL) goes up and down regularly and when you aren’t aware these symptoms begin: headache, dizziness, fatigue and general discomfort. Bear in mind that in order to stay healthy you have to change your lifestyle completely, it’s not good to change your daily menu only to lower LDL and then go back to fats and fast food.

New lifestyle

A patient with high cholesterol need to be aware that there is something wrong with their lifestyle and if he/she doesn’t make the necessary adjustments. will end up sick.
The first thing to do is to remove saturated fats and refined sugars from your diet and start a routine of physical exercise, better if they are aerobic.

This should include fruits, vegetables, grains and plenty of fluids, but if you are hypertensive, take care of your salt intake (in this case don’t drink a lot of water).

Fruits

If we talk about fruits, the ones that will help low your cholesterol level are:

Strawberries

For its high content of vitamins C and E, it prevents the transformation of good cholesterol to bad, which is the one that the damages arteries.

Apples

2 apples can reduce up to 20% of bad cholesterol because of the large amount of pectin they contain. Likewise, its malic and tartaric acids help digest foods that are too fatty. Take it as a snack without any fear.

Other healthy fruits are pineapple, tangerine, watermelon, cantaloupe, banana, orange and grapefruit.

Oily fish

A food that cannot be out of your diet is oily fish, especially tuna, salmon and sardines. The recommendation is to consume it at least 3 times a week; it’s better if smoked, baked or fried with olive oil. It will help to raise good cholesterol and will increase a lot of omega-3 to your body.

Sacha Inchi oil and virgin olive oil

According to recent medical studies, Sacha Inchi is an oil that helps reduce high cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. The healthy thing is to take a spoonful every day, fasting, don’t exceed. Another essential oil in our diet is the extra virgin olive oil, a great ally in the arteries since it slightly raises the good cholesterol because of its tocopherols (vitamin E).

Vegetables

DO NOT forget to include in your daily diet a good portion of vegetables like beans and lentils, they are a large component of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals and vitamins and fiber.

Avocado

One or two avocados per week provide high monounsaturated fats that improve good cholesterol levels by reducing bad. Vitamin E that it contains protects arteries.

We can add spinach, oats, carrots, artichokes, lettuce, pumpkin, barley, rye, flax, asparagus, dried fruit and eggs. Drink skim milk.

Do not consume

Just as you have a list of recommended foods, there is a black list where are those that can put you at risk for increasing LDL cholesterol level.

Whole milk, butter, cheese high in fat, pork fat, chicken and turkey, ribs, organ meats, burgers, sausages and hot dogs.

Cookies, crackers and other baked commercial products made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Potato chips, donuts and other commercial fried foods as well.

Now you will have better guidelines on what you can eat and which foods to include in your diet. You have very different options that you can combine with creativity and ingenuity, to feed you in a healthy way.

About the author
  • S.M. Aiquipa

    She has a degree in Communication. She has complemented her work as a journalist with an in-depth study of dietetics and health. Sally has a solid background in journalism and great communication skills. She is able to explain in a clear, simple and understandable way complex nutritional concepts or high level scientific studies. Linkedin profile.