If you have ever heard the term LDL, this is our “bad” cholesterol. In some of the foods we buy at the store, they have two main ingredients in them that will cause our LDL levels to increase. One is saturated fat that is found mostly in foods that come from animals. The other is cholesterol, which comes only from animal products. Saturated fat is detrimental to people who are susceptible to having high cholesterol. Heart disease is precipitated by consuming excess saturated fats and cholesterol. A crucial step towards reducing your blood cholesterol levels is eating foods that are lower in cholesterol. There are a variety of foods available that will help you to lower your cholesterol.

Adding soluble fiber to your diet can reduce the absorption of LDL cholesterol into your blood. This will help to reduce your “bad” cholesterol. Daily consumption of 6 to 111 grams of soluble fiber can improve your overall total cholesterol levels. Oatmeal is an excellent source of soluble fiber. Other soluble fiber containing foods are pinto beans, strawberries, apples, pears, and prunes. Eating 1 and 1/2 to two cups of cooked oatmeal daily will provide you with about seven grams of fiber. Adding fruit like bananas, you will add about another four grams of fiber to your meal! Eating cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran is also another option for you to take.

Instead of reaching for a cholesterol laden donut or saturated fat containing store-bought cookies, reach for foods that lower cholesterol like pistachios or almonds. These are cholesterol-lowering foods with health benefits. These nuts are chalk-full of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Decreasing your risk of heart disease can be done by eating walnuts. Walnuts help to maintain the health of your blood vessels. Unhealthy blood vessels can lead to heart disease. The Food and Drug Administration recommends eating about a (1.5 ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts to reduce your risk of heart disease. You should avoid nuts that are salted or coated with sugar. These types of nuts are high in calories so limit yourself to only a handful because you do not want your cholesterol-lowering efforts to be in vain. Nuts are not high in saturated fats and these are great foods to snack on. An easy way to do this is to eat a handful of walnuts or almonds instead of eating donuts and cookies.

Adding fish and omega-3 fatty acids to your diet will also reduce your cholesterol. If you are at risk for developing blood clots eating foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids will reduce your chances of serious health complications in the future. All is not lost for those who have already had a heart attack. Eating foods that have fish oil, or omega-3 fatty acids in them reduces the risk of sudden death. You should eat at least two servings of fish a week. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, salmon and halibut. In order to avoid adding unhealthy fat you should bake or grill the fish. Foods like ground flaxseed or canola oil have small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in them if you do not have the desire to eat fish.