Foods to Help Lower Cholesterol

1) Beans and Lentils
Half a cup of cooked dry pinto beans daily for 12 weeks lowered total cholesterol by about 8%, studies have shown. Other research has linked beans with decreased levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol.

2)Plant sterols and stanols
These compounds help block the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. Foods such as orange juice and yogurt drinks are often fortified with sterols and stanols. To see your LDL (bad) cholesterol drop by about 5% to 15%, though, you need to eat at least 2 grams of these substances a day. You can get this amount of sterols and stanols by drinking two 8 ounce glasses of fortified orange juice a day.

3)"Good" Fats and Oils
Monounsaturated fats in particular can help reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol. They can be found in avocados, peanut butter and nuts like hazelnuts, almonds and pecans. Vegetable oils include olive, canola and peanut.



Source: ivillage.com