Vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals essential for heart health. Their rich source of soluble fiber reduces LDL cholesterol while vegetables like broccoli, spinach and Brussels sprouts provide antioxidant protection.
Cook vegetarian meals at least once every week and incorporate beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds into your diet. Olive oil is plant-based and helps lower cholesterol levels.
Plant stanols or sterols
Plant sterols and stanols (phytosterols) are natural cholesterol-like compounds found in plant foods like vegetable oils, whole grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables. According to research, phytosterols may help lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels that lead to cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke – in fact just 2 grams a day can reduce them by 6- 15%! You can find plant sterols and stanols either fortified with these compounds or as supplements taken or as capsule form.
Studies on the efficacy of plant sterols and stanols for lowering total and LDL cholesterol have been the subject of countless clinical trials, compiled and published as meta-analyses, with results showing an average reduction in total and LDL cholesterol of 6-11% compared with simply taking cholesterol-reducing diet alone; even better results were seen when combined with statins that can reduce total and LDL cholesterol by 20% or more!
These effects were found to be independent of the fat content in the background diet. Sterols and stanols appear to reduce cholesterol absorption through digestion rather than directly impacting production; perhaps through inhibiting synthesis of Apolipoprotein B transporting cholesterol through blood vessels.
Plant sterols and stanols differ from other cholesterol-lowering strategies by being safe for children to use and effective across a wide variety of patients – both men and women alike. Furthermore, they are well tolerated by most patients as part of a low-fat, high fibre diet without appearing to interact with drugs such as statins.
If you are taking statins, it is essential that you notify your healthcare professional if you add sterols or stanols to your diet, as they work differently from statins to reduce blood cholesterol and may alter the dosage you require.
Fruits
Producing fruits and vegetables can help to lower cholesterol and reduce your risk of chronic diseases, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s guidelines. Adults should aim for eating 1.5-2.5 cups of fruit daily; fruits are low in fat, sodium and calories while providing essential potassium, fiber and vitamin C nutrients. They’re available fresh, frozen or canned – when selecting canned varieties be sure they contain no added sugars or sodium levels that exceed 200mg per 100g serving.
Dietary guidelines recommend that individuals consume an assortment of fruits and vegetables, particularly dark-green, orange, cruciferous and starchy veggies; dark berries; melons and citrus. You can increase your fruit and veggie consumption by eating raw, whole, chopped up or pureed forms; adding them into soups, salads, sauces or stews can also add both delicious flavor and vitamins!
Although we know we need to eat more fruits and vegetables, it can be challenging to know where to begin. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables might include potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, beans, lentils, black-eyed peas and corn; tomatoes, cucumbers and kale; or avocados, bananas, prunes or figs as part of its selection.
Fruits, technically defined, are the fleshy ovary of flowering plants that contain seeds. Vegetables on the other hand refers to edible parts of plants such as roots, tubers, stems and leaves – though many foods we think of as vegetables such as eggplants and peppers are technically fruits.
When purchasing fruits and vegetables, try selecting seasonal produce. They tend to be more flavorful and cost less. Also avoid processed fruit products with high amounts of saturated and trans fat that could increase cholesterol levels.
Try to include fruits and vegetables at each meal, whether adding them to meatloaf, omelets, grilled chicken or serving them as the main course in dishes like vegetarian pot pie, quinoa casserole, black bean burger or eggplant parmesan. Doing this will increase your likelihood of meeting daily goals for fruits and veggies consumption.
Vegetables
Vegetables are an excellent source of fibre, potassium, vitamin C, folate and A as well as being low in fat and sodium content. Vegetables play an integral role in heart health as well as general well-being – their nutrients are crucial components of a balanced diet that will help prevent many illnesses. A diet high in vegetables will ensure an improved lifestyle overall and better cardiovascular health outcomes.
There are various strategies to increase the vegetable intake in your diet. Replacing processed food with vegetables is one way, or you could add more at meals and snacks by including them in sauces, salad dressings or soups; they could even become ingredients in main courses such as casseroles or stews.
Add more vegetables to your diet for an array of colors and flavors, while reaping additional nutritional benefits – essential for vegetarians or people following medical diets.
Average people generally eat less vegetables than recommended for several reasons, most commonly disliking their taste or texture and not knowing how to prepare them. Luckily, there is a wide range of vegetables to choose from so it should be possible for everyone to find at least some that they enjoy eating.
Most clinical trials relating to vegetables focus on getting people to eat more of them; few attempt to demonstrate their health benefits for humans. This may be because it’s hard to differentiate between vegetables and fruit, making a comparison impractical; also possible that many clinical trials evaluating vegetable benefits rely on cross-sectional or retrospective studies that lack reliability since there’s no way of controlling for all possible confounding factors.
An approach to increasing vegetable intakes through changing their environment includes altering consumption habits. This could involve increasing availability through provision or improving presentation; 37 interventions have already utilized this strategy.
Tea
Tea is one of the world’s favorite beverages and enjoyed in numerous forms, from cafe seating and bakery scone pairing to to-go cups over ice for running errands to cozy cups by the fireside mugs and cozy cups by the fireplace mugs – each has been linked with improved LDL, HDL and total cholesterol levels as a result of regular tea consumption. Tea contains polyphenols which contain anti-inflammatory plant chemicals with anti-cholesterol effects; polyphenols may reduce cholesterol levels in blood vessels as well as protect against cardiovascular disease as reduce risk associated with diabetes risk factors.
Tea’s antioxidants may help lower oxidized cholesterol, thus decreasing total and LDL levels. Furthermore, its anti-inflammatory effects may improve overall blood lipid levels while simultaneously lowering triglycerides levels and decreasing inflammation.
Recent research found that regular tea consumption was associated with lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of systemic inflammation that may serve as an early predictor for heart disease. The analysis used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, with participant responses to food frequency questionnaires and 24-hour recalls providing data. Researchers then compared black, green, and oolong tea consumption against multiple markers of MetS such as BMI, waist circumference, fasting glucose, total cholesterol HDL cholesterol and serum triglycerides to find associations.
Recent research compared the effects of five servings of regular tea per day to those from a placebo on cholesterol and lipoprotein (a) levels in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults over three weeks. Participants who consumed tea saw significant reductions in total and LDL cholesterol, whereas Apolipoprotein B levels, triglycerides levels, and urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine did not show significant changes.
Studies show that flavonoids found in green tea can help lower cholesterol by restricting its absorption in the intestinal tract, and polyphenols help prevent atherosclerosis by inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation (an essential step in coronary artery disease progression).
Research to date indicates that diets rich in fruits and vegetables may help to lower cholesterol, although more human studies must be completed to confirm this effect. It’s also important to maintain a moderate weight, exercise regularly and limit the consumption of red meats and full fat dairy products which contain saturated fats.
