Foods That Help Reduce Cholesterol

Unfortunately, the medical community is quick to prescribe another expensive medication to lower cholesterol but they are far less likely to suggest herbal or homeopathic measures. 

Along with getting plenty of fiber there are foods that will help in promoting the lowering of cholesterol as well as herbs that can further reduce cholesterol.

Foods containing pectin are advantageous to lowering cholesterol levels.  Carrots, apples and the white layer inside of citrus rinds are particularly beneficial.

Avocado, which is very high in fat, has unexpectedly become a cholesterol reducer.  A study of women who were given a choice of a high monounsaturated fats (olive oil) along with avocado diet or a complex carbohydrate consisting of starches and sugars reported interesting results.  In six weeks, the former group on the olive oil and avocado diet showed an 8.2 percent reduction in cholesterol.

Beans

Gotta love ‘em.  They are high in fiber and low in cholesterol.  What more could you ask for!  A cup and a half of beans, or the amount in a bowl of soup, can lower total cholesterol levels by as much as 19 percent!

Garlic

We discussed garlic earlier but it is well worth repeating here.  Use it liberally in your diet.  Not only will it help to lower your cholesterol it is also credited with lowering blood pressure.  Be sure you include generous amounts of garlic as well as onions in your daily diet.

Cayenne pepper

(Capsicum minimum) and other plants that contain the phenolic compound capsaicin have a well demonstrated effect in lowering blood cholesterol levels, as does the widely used spice Fenugreek.

Caraway is another aromatic spice with demonstrable cholesterol lowering properties.

A whole range of Asian herbal remedies new to western medicine are proving to be valuable in this field.
Remember when the “low-fat” mantra began?  We all jumped in with both feet and some of us still live on low fat foods, like having a baked potato but no butter or sour cream.  Maybe you eat pasta, veggies and fat free desserts.  So how come you still gain weight?

Good question. 

Researchers from the National Center for Health Statistics studied the eating habits of 8.260 adult Americans between 1988 and 1991.  They found that Americans have significantly reduced their fat intake but still packed on extra pounds in recent years.

In fact, a national health and nutrition survey of over 8,000 American adults concludes that one third of the population is overweight.

The answer is very simple and right in front of us.  So many of us jumped on the low fat diet and assumed that if it’s low fat it can’t make us fat.  Right?  Wrong.  We were so involved with the low fat concept that we forgot to count calories!