10 Heart Healthy Foods For a Healthy Heart and Lower Cholesterol! Cholesterol is an important fat-like substance used to create hormones (such as vitamin D), build healthy cells, and digest your food. The cholesterol your body uses can come from two different sources: your own body or the food you eat. Dietary cholesterol, meaning the cholesterol from food, is only found in animal-based products (i.e. meat, dairy milk, eggs, etc.). Dietary cholesterol is not essential to your health because your liver makes all of the cholesterol it needs on its own. So, if you are vegan there's no need to worry!
Traditionally, LDL cholesterol is referred to as "bad" cholesterol and HDL cholesterol is referred to as "good" cholesterol. A total cholesterol level of less than or equal to 200 mg/dL and LDL level of less than or equal to 100 mg/dL is considered optimal. If you consume animal-based foods, it's a good idea to have no more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day.
Sometimes cholesterol levels can become so high they become problematic for your health. Generally a total cholesterol level above 240 mg/dL is considered high. High cholesterol can lead to the development of heart disease and increase the risk of a heart attack and stroke. If you have high cholesterol or simply want to prevent it from becoming too high, include the following foods in your menus.
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1. Avocado: Avocados are a great source of monounsaturated fats, a type of fat that may help to raise the "good" cholesterol, while lowering the "bad". In addition, avocados contain more beta-sitosterol (a plant-based fat) than any other fruit. The American Heart Association recommends that you get up to 15% of your daily calories from monounsaturated fats.
2. Beans: Beans and vegetables are excellent sources of soluble fiber. Eating a cup of any type of beans a day-particularly kidney, navy, pinto, black, chickpea, or butter beans-can lower your cholesterol by as much as 10% in 6 weeks. According to the FDA and the National Cancer Institute, adults should get 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day. That can easily be done by adding beans to your daily diet.
3. Oats: Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your LDL cholesterol. Five to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day decreases LDL cholesterol. Eating 1 ½ cups of cooked oatmeal provides 4.5 grams of fiber.
4. Salmon: The major health components in salmon include omega-3 fatty-acids and proteins. These components lend positive benefits to the cardiovascular system. The American Heart Association recommends that you eat at least two servings of fish per week, particularly fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and herring).
5. Soy: The top health promoting components in soybeans are isoflavones and soluble fiber. 25-50 grams of soy per day is recommended to decrease cholesterol by 4 to 8%.
6. Dark chocolate contains several compounds that possess antioxidant properties, such as flavanols and polyphenols. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and prevent oxidative stress. Oxidative stress refers to the damage that excessive amounts of free radicals can inflict on cells and tissues in the body.
7. Green tea is the healthiest beverage on the planet.
It is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients that have powerful effects on the body. These include improved brain function, fat loss, a lower risk of cancer and many other impressive benefits.
8. Red wine is high in resveratrol, and it may offer various health benefits.
Resveratrol may boost heart health, protect against some kinds of cancer, and prevent some types of vision loss.
9. Tomatoes A single tomato can provide about 40% of the daily recommended minimum of vitamin C. What's more, tomatoes supply vitamin A, which supports immunity, vision, and skin health; vitamin K, which is good for your bones; and potassium, a key nutrient for heart function, muscle contractions, and maintaining a healthy blood pressure and fluid balance.
10. Coffee The potential health benefits associated with drinking coffee include:
protection against type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, liver disease, and liver cancer. The promotion of a healthy heart
#HeartHealth #LowerCholesterol #HealthyFoods
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