Types of cholesterol-lowering foods and how to cook them

One way to keep cholesterol levels normal is to adjust your diet. If your cholesterol levels are high, you are at risk of developing various diseases that are complications of cholesterol. So, what are high cholesterol-lowering foods that can keep cholesterol levels safe at the same time? Check out the complete list below.

Cholesterol-lowering foods

Cholesterol is needed by the body, but excessive levels can actually cause the potential for various diseases. Therefore, you need to increase your intake of nutrients that are good for balancing cholesterol levels.

1. Oatmeal

One of the nutrients that are good for maintaining cholesterol levels as well as being a source of cholesterol-lowering foods is fiber. Therefore, fiber can lower cholesterol levels in the blood. You can include fibrous foods in your daily diet to keep cholesterol safe.

One of the foods that contain fiber is oatmeal. These foods contain soluble fiber, which can reduce levels low-density lipoproteins(LDL) or bad cholesterol. Apart from oatmeal, soluble fiber which is good for cholesterol can also be found in kidney beans, apples, pears, and prunes. Soluble fiber is believed to reduce cholesterol absorption into the bloodstream.

Quoting the Mayo Clinic, consuming 5-10 grams of more soluble fiber per day can lower LDL cholesterol. If you eat 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal, you will get 6 grams of fiber. Meanwhile, when you add it with fruit like bananas or berries, you are also increasing your daily fiber intake.

2. Nuts

One of the foods that are good for cholesterol is nuts. The reason is, these foods contain unsaturated fats and fiber which are good for maintaining normal cholesterol levels.

One type of nuts that are good for cholesterol are almonds and walnuts. Besides being good for maintaining normal cholesterol levels, these foods can also reduce various cholesterol complications, such as heart attacks.

Even so, you still have to pay attention to the portions of nuts you eat. The reason is, nuts have a fairly high calorie content. Therefore, you can eat it by adding nuts to your salad or eating it as a snack for cholesterol sufferers. Eating these foods regularly can reduce levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.

3. Fruits and vegetables

One type of cholesterol-lowering food that is no less important is fruits and vegetables. Eating a variety of vegetables and fruits every day can help you prevent various types of heart disease, which are commonly complications of high cholesterol.

There are many types of cholesterol-lowering fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber that can help lower cholesterol levels in the blood. Foods for cholesterol can lower LDL levels by reducing the absorption of bad cholesterol in the blood.

The types of vegetables that you can consume to lower blood cholesterol levels are green vegetables, such as spinach. This vegetable is believed to protect the arteries from cholesterol deposits that can turn into plaque.

You are advised to eat green vegetables every day. Apart from consuming it as food for cholesterol, you can also consume it in the form of juice or smoothies.

Apart from being rich in fiber, there are also fruits that contain good fats such as avocado. Eating avocado can help reduce LDL levels in the blood, especially in people who are overweight or obese.

You can even use this fruit as an alternative food to replace saturated and trans fat intake to meet your daily fat needs. That way, you can use these foods to control cholesterol levels in the body to keep it safe.

4. Soy milk

If you like to drink milk, there is nothing wrong with trying to get used to drinking soy milk. This milk is suitable for substituting fat-rich cow's milk that you consume.

Soy milk is suitable as milk for cholesterol sufferers, because soy can reduce levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. In fact, not only soy milk is good for consumption, but other foods made from soy.

For example, edamame, tofu, and soybeans are good foods for cholesterol. Eating 25 grams of soybeans every day is believed to reduce LDL levels in the blood by 5-6 percent.

5. Fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids

One of the recommended cholesterol-lowering foods is to eat fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Although it does not have a direct effect on bad cholesterol levels in the blood, fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids can help lower triglyceride levels. In addition, these foods can also reduce the risk of blood clots, a condition that may occur if you have high cholesterol levels.

In fact, in people who have a heart attack, a complication of high cholesterol, eating fish or foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of sudden death.

In essence, although fish does not have a direct effect on cholesterol, this food is still important for consumption because it has many benefits in maintaining heart health. The reason is, high cholesterol is closely related to heart disease.

How to cook the right way for cholesterol-lowering foods

Apart from paying attention to the types of cholesterol-lowering foods, you also need to pay attention to healthy cooking techniques. There are several ways of cooking that are healthy and good to help you keep cholesterol levels safe. Some of them are:

1. Pay attention to the fat content in cooked food

Fat is a nutrient that can affect your cholesterol levels. If you eat too much saturated fat and trans fat, your cholesterol levels may spike dramatically. Meanwhile, consuming unsaturated fats actually helps you maintain good cholesterol levels.

However, that does not mean that you are completely prohibited from eating foods rich in saturated fat such as red meat. There are several ways you can consider while cooking red meat to reduce the saturated fat content in it:

Remove all visible fat before cooking red meat.
Better to cook red meat by roasting than frying.
Cook one day earlier before eating, that way you can save the fat in the meat that has been cooked in the refrigerator. The next day, you can remove the cooked fat from the meat.
Modify the recipes you follow, for example by avoiding frying techniques and turning them into baking.
Choose chicken over duck because duck has a higher fat content.
Avoid pre-processed meats, such as sausages, bologna, or meathot dog.

2. Use vegetable oil

Vegetables are a type of food that can lower cholesterol. However, if you cook it the wrong way, you may not get the maximum benefits. The way to cook these foods that are good for cholesterol is to use vegetable oil and add a little water if needed.

No need to use too much vegetable oil, just use two teaspoons to cook the vegetables which are served in four servings. When cooking vegetables, you can also add a variety of herbs as spices that can add flavor to the dish. Avoid using spices such as micin and the like.

3. Add the fruit and vegetable puree to make a cake

Not only for cooking foods that are good for cholesterol, you can also use fruits and vegetables to make cakes. When making mufins, biscuits, cakes, and snacks for cholesterol sufferers, you can add vegetables and fruits that have been softened (puree).

The goal is to add flavor and make it healthier. For example, adding apple puree to mufin oroatmeal cookies. You can also add bananas to bread or muffins and add zucchini to the bronzes.

4. Change toppings and sauces with low fat

Dressings, toppings, and sauces in food can, in fact, unconsciously increase the amount of fat in the body. For example, one serving of mayonnaise contains 10 grams of fat.

To reduce fat but still maintain texture creamy In salads and sandwiches, you can use greek yogurt, olive oil, applesauce, and other foods as long as they are low in fat. You need to control portions of food, even with healthy seasonings.