10 Best Foods to Control Body Cholesterol

Being healthy is what everyone desires. However, not everyone can ignore those tempting tasty foods. But still, for those with high cholesterol levels have to be aware of what to eat and what not to eat. Cholesterol is a kind of fat. Every day we require cholesterol for the proper functioning of the body and brain as well as to do any kind of work. But the problem is that we have to maintain it in the correct level in our body.

There are basically 2 types of cholesterol – LDL and HDL

LDL – Low Density Lipo-protein

HDL – High Density Lipo-protein

LDL is commonly called as bad cholesterol whereas HDL is good for our body and brain development and to do our daily work. But if the LDL exceeds the required level it clogs our arteries resulting in heart attack, stroke etc.,

So, how can you reduce Bad cholesterol? The first and the foremost thing is one should follow an active lifestyle and do some kind of physical exercise every day. Also habits like smoking and drinking can cause more harm. You have to be cautious in your diet to overcome obesity.

Besides these, there are also several healthy foods that you can intake to keep your cholesterol levels at check. Here are 10 best foods available at our home which helps to control LDL.

1. Garlic:

Garlic has potent medicinal properties that cures lots of health problems. It contains Allicin with antioxidant properties, which is great for not only reducing high cholesterol and triglyceride levels but also regulates blood pressure and avoids clotting of blood.

Daily intake of 2 to 3 raw garlic cloves helps in reducing cholesterol.

2. Olive oil:

Olive oil is rich in mono unsaturated fat and vitamin E. Mono unsaturated fat in olive oil helps to reduce LDL (Bad cholesterol) in our body. Also vitamin E reduces the risk of heart disease. Olive oil can be used as an effective alternate for our cooking oil.

3. Dark chocolate:

Dark chocolate contains rich amount of cocoa solids which is more than half of its content. Cocoa is the source of flavonols and contains chemical compounds called flavonoids which have various health benefits. Also dark chocolate are rich in antioxidants which prevent the clogging of blood vessels.

Have 2 or 3 pieces of yummy dark chocolate once in a while to help increasing HDL- (good cholesterol).

4. Orange juice:

Orange juice is a rich source of Vitamin C, Flavonoids like hesperidin, and Folate. These ingredients help in reducing LDL and thus improve good cholesterol in the blood.

Fresh juice is always better than plant sterol fortified orange juice. Eating 2 or 3 oranges every day is an alternate for this.

5. Almonds:

When you are tempted to have a snack, go for nuts. Almonds are loaded with calcium, vitamin E , magnesium , potassium. They are the best source of protein and fibre. Eating one handful of almonds helps reduce LDL (bad )cholesterol, risk of heart attacks, and even helps in weight loss. It has rich source of calcium which strengthens teeth and bone. Almonds are also good for diabetes patients.

6. Oats:

Oatmeal is rich in soluble fibre. It prevents the bad cholesterol which gets absorbed in our blood vessel. Also it helps in weight maintenance because of its rich fibre content which fills your stomach cravings. Having oatmeal for breakfast is beneficial for reducing bad cholesterol.

7. Green tea:

A very good ingredient of green tea is camellia sinensis which is rich in phyto chemicals, polyphenols and caffeine. These compounds make green tea rich in antioxidant, anticarcinogen and anti-inflammatory properties.

Daily intake of 2 or 3 cups of green tea helps in lowering the bad cholesterol.

8. Salmon fish:

It is an excellent source of protein, vitamin B12, Selenium, Omega 3 fatty acids – EPA and DHA. It helps strengthen good HDL cholesterol mildly, and lowers the bad cholesterol.

Intake of 4 to 6 ounces of salmon once in a week can reduce the risk of heart attack.

9. Avocados:

Avocados have rich mono unsaturated fats, minerals like iron, copper, potassium and more soluble fibre. The antioxidants present in avocados helps raise the HDL levels.

Add avocados to salads, sandwiches and any side dish to get healthy cholesterol.

10. Soy protein:

Soy protein is isolated from soybeans. It helps lower the bad cholesterol and in regulating the cholesterol clogged in arteries. They have good amounts of poly unsaturated fat, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, and sodium.

Thus intake of the above said 10 best foods surely help in lowering the bad LDL cholesterol and increasing the good HDL cholesterol.