10 Foods that Lower Your Cholesterol

Changing what you eat can lower your cholesterol and improve the kinds of fats floating through your bloodstream. Improving your cholesterol through diet requires a two-pronged strategy:

1. Add foods that lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein), the “bad” cholesterol.

2. Cut back on foods that boost LDL.

Different foods lower cholesterol in various ways. Some deliver soluble fibre, which drags cholesterol out of the body before it gets into circulation. Some give you polyunsaturated fats, which directly lower LDL. And some contain plant sterols and stannous, which block the body from absorbing cholesterol.

Here are 10 types of foods that work in one or more of these ways to lower cholesterol:

1. Oats such as oatmeal, or cold, oat-based cereal like Cheerios

2. Barley and other whole grains

3. Beans

4. Eggplant and okra

5. Nuts

6. Vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, and safflower

7. Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits

8. Foods fortified with sterols and stannous, which include foods ranging f rom margarine and granola bars to orange juice and chocolate

9. Soy, such as tofu or soy milk

10. Fatty fish