Breakfast oatmeal or Cheerios is a simple way to decrease cholesterol. 1–2 grams of soluble fiber. Bananas or strawberries add another half-gram.
Barley and other whole grains, like oats and oat bran, include soluble fiber that lowers heart disease risk.
Beans are high in soluble fiber. They take longer to digest, making you feel fuller after a meal. Beans help weight loss because of it. Beans, from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and more, are incredibly versatile.
These low-calorie vegetables include soluble fiber.
A multitude of studies suggest that almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts are heart-healthy. 2 ounces of nuts daily reduce LDL by 5%. Nuts provide various heart-protecting minerals.
When cooking or eating, substituting liquid vegetable oils like canola, sunflower, safflower, and others for butter, lard, and shortening lowers LDL.
These fruits contain LDL-lowering pectin.
Plant sterols and stanols block cholesterol absorption. They are in margarine, granola bars, orange juice, and chocolate. They're also supplements. Plant sterols or stanols reduce LDL cholesterol by 10%.
Tofu and soy milk were originally advertised as excellent cholesterol-lowering meals. 25 grams of soy protein a day (10 ounces of tofu or 2 1/2 cups of soy milk) lowers LDL by 5% to 6%.
Fish two or three times a week lowers LDL by replacing saturated fat-rich meat with omega-3 fats. Omega-3s lower triglycerides and prevent irregular cardiac rhythms.
Soluble fiber supplements are least enticing. Metamucil and other bulk-forming laxatives contain psyllium, which provides 4 grams of soluble fiber per teaspoon.