Looking to lower your cholesterol? Try these 5 foods.

It’s widely known that lower levels of cholesterol can help us prevent health problems, but what is cholesterol? And how can we lower our cholesterol levels to keep ourselves healthy?

Cholesterol plays an important role in the production of hormones, vitamin D and bile to help your body to digest fats. There are two types of cholesterol:

• LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or the ‘bad’ cholesterol. It’s seen as unhealthy because it causes plaque buildup in your arteries which can cause problems for your heart.

• HDL (high-density lipoprotein), or ‘good’ cholesterol, on the other hand is what we should be aiming to have more of as it helps to get rid of excess cholesterol in your body.

To ensure we’re consuming more of the ‘good’ cholesterol and less of the ‘bad’, we can change up our diets to include foods that lower our overall cholesterol levels. These foods include:

1. Avocados

Full of fibre and monounsaturated fats which help to lower ‘bad’ cholesterol and raise ‘good’ cholesterol, avocados can help you combat the build up of ‘bad’ cholesterol.

2. Dark chocolate

The cocoa in dark chocolate can prevent the ‘bad’ cholesterol in your blood from oxidising which can cause heart disease. Look to consume chocolate that’s at least 75% cocoa to really reap the rewards of this cholesterol-lowering food.

3. Extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil has many benefits, and aiding in lowering cholesterol levels is one of them. Like avocados, its monounsaturated fats help to boost your heart health, and the antioxidants present in this food are helpful too.

4. Garlic

Another food renowned for its health benefits, garlic helps to lower blood pressure. Garlic is also made up of the plant compound allicin, which can help to lower LDL and reduce other risk factors of heart disease.

5. Fish

Fatty or oily fish such as salmon and mackerel are particularly good for your cholesterol levels and overall heart health. These types of fish contain large amounts of omega-3 which can increase ‘good’ cholesterol and actually lower your risk of strokes and heart disease.

If you’re looking to lower your cholesterol levels to increase your overall health, try adding these foods to your diet today.

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