The fiber and potassium in bananas can reduce the level of cholesterol and blood pressure. Banana is especially known as a good source of soluble fibre which will gives one a healthy body and good immune system.
Our own trial also showed that Weet-Bix™ Cholesterol Lowering effectively lowered LDL cholesterol by up to 9% within 4 weeks. Overall, the study supported Weet-Bix™ Cholesterol Lowering as being an effective, easy and nutritious food for people who need to manage their cholesterol.
Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods
Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples and pears.
While coffee does not contain cholesterol, it can affect cholesterol levels. The diterpenes in coffee suppress the body's production of substances involved in cholesterol breakdown, causing cholesterol to increase. Specifically, coffee diterpenes may cause an increase in total cholesterol and LDL levels.
Cheese is a great source of protein and calcium but is often high in saturated fat and salt. This means eating too much could lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The bad cholesterol is called LDL and the good cholesterol is called HDL. When people have high cholesterol their LDL (bad) is high and their HDL (good) is low. Eating healthy, regular exercise and drinking plenty of water will help to bring down cholesterol levels within 2-3 weeks.
Dr. Lisa Matzer: Stress is known to increase cholesterol levels and in particular the bad LDL cholesterol. The amount of stress in your life isn't as important as how you deal with it. The more anger and hostility that stress produces in you, the higher (and worse) your LDL and triglyceride levels tend to be.
Potatoes are cholesterol-free and have zero saturated fat
Consuming foods that are low in cholesterol and saturated fat help reduce risk of suffering from heart diseases to some extent. So if you have a heart problem, adding some slices of boiled potatoes as a side can help in giving your heart the much needed TLC.
Greek yogurt has been connected to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can reduce your risk of heart disease. Cholesterol and triglycerides can harden or block your arteries over time, leading to heart disease or atherosclerosis.
Dark chocolate contains some stearic acid and this has led to claims that chocolate does not raise blood cholesterol. Unfortunately, dark chocolate also contains saturated fats which do raise cholesterol.
Chicken eggs are an affordable source of protein and other nutrients. They're also naturally high in cholesterol. But the cholesterol in eggs doesn't seem to raise cholesterol levels the way some other foods, such as those high in trans fats and saturated fats, do.
Consider Decaf. Some research suggests that caffeinated coffee is more likely to raise cholesterol than decaf. There isn't a proven connection, but switching to decaf or half caf/half decaf might be a good choice if you are concerned about your cholesterol levels.
Apples are the best fruit to lower cholesterol.
Apples are one of the fruits with the highest amount of fiber, and they contain a specific type of soluble fiber called pectin.
Cholesterol is only found in foods that come from animals, there is no cholesterol in foods that come from plants. So, there is no cholesterol in fruit, vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts, beans, peas and lentils.
Choose lower fat milk such as skim, 1% and 2% milk. Making lifestyle changes (smoking cessation and weight loss), and reducing total dietary fat (especially saturated and trans fat) are more effective at lowering blood cholesterol than reducing cholesterol intake.
"Try a baked apple, poached pear, a bowl of sorbet topped with diced mango," recommends Elizabeth Somer, MA, RD, author of "Eat Your Way to Happiness" (Harlequin, 2009). She also suggests snacking on frozen blueberries or dunking fresh strawberries in a little fat-free dark chocolate syrup.