10 Best Foods That Lower Your Cholesterol Without Medication
High cholesterol? Add these healthy foods to your diet to lower your numbers naturally.
By Marygrace Taylor
Dec 26, 2018
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Have high cholesterol? You’re not alone. The problem affects some 95 million Americans, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and has been linked to serious health conditions, from heart disease to diabetes.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance found in your cells. Your liver makes it naturally, but it’s also found in animal foods like meat and dairy products. Your body needs some cholesterol to function, but getting more than you need, which can happen from eating too many cholesterol-rich foods, causes plaque to form in the arteries that could lead to dangerous blood-flow blockages.
“High cholesterol is a top risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, and poor circulation,” says Omar Ali, MD, intervention cardiologist at Detroit Medical Center Harper University Hospital. Ideally, this is what healthy cholesterol numbers look like, according to the National Institues of Health:
Adult women (age 20+)
Total cholesterol: 125 to 200 mg/dL
LDL cholesterol: Less than 100 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol: 50 mg/dL or higher
Adult men (age 20+)
Total cholesterol: 125 to 200 mg/dL
LDL cholesterol: Less than 100 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol: 40 mg/dL or higher
Medications like statins can help you get there, though most experts recommend trying to make healthy lifestyle changes first. “I always advise people to try and lower their cholesterol through diet and exercise,” says Jennifer Haythe, MD, co-director of the Women’s Center for Cardiovascular Health at New York-Presbyterian.
Try it: This honey-spiced salmon with quinoa is loaded with protein and fiber—and takes just 35 minutes to make! If tuna is your go-to, try this tuna salad recipe that subs out mayo for protein-rich Greek yogurt.
Nuts
Regular consumption of tree nuts like walnuts, almonds, and pistachios is tied to lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, found an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition review of 61 studies. “This is likely because they contain unsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, vitamin E, and plant sterols,” Dr. Haythe explains. Just watch your portions, since nuts are high in calories. A small handful or two tablespoons of nut butter is all you need, says Dr. Haythe.
Green tea
A Japanese study of more than 40,000 adults found that those who drank more than five cups of green tea daily were 26 percent less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke compared to folks who rarely sipped the stuff. Experts suspect that’s because the grassy brew is rich in catechins, a family of flavonoids that have been shown to thwart the production of cholesterol as well as block it from being absorbed.
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