High cholesterol foods? Cholesterol free foods & foods to eat for healthy cholesterol

When people talk about lowering cholesterol, they’re referring to LDL cholesterol. HDL, its good twin, plays an important part in promoting heart health by scrubbing the arteries clean of LDL. You can reduce your LDL cholesterol count through diet in two ways–eating foods that reduce LDL levels, or eating foods that increase HDLs.

Blueberries

 

Blueberries contain a compound called pterostilbene, reports Steven Pratt, author of “Superfoods Rx.” Pterostilbene directly helps the body reduce its LDL count, in some cases as effectively as commercially available drugs. According to Pratt, currents, apples, plums and strawberries also contain pterostilbene, albeit in smaller concentrations.

Health coach Laurel Moll writes that avocados are rich in the unsaturated fats that stimulate your liver to produce HDL. Increased HDL levels lead to reduced levels of LDL, the bad cholesterol. Moll notes that the healthy fat concentration in avocados is comparable to that in olives and many legumes.

Cranberries

According to both Pratt and Moll, cranberries contain micronutrients your body uses to produce HDL. You can get the same benefit from fresh cranberries, processed cranberries or cranberry juice. Even mixed cranberry juices, such as cranberry-apple or cranberry-grape carry the same benefits. Pratt also lists cranberries among the fruits that contain pterostilbene.

Grapes

Moll reports that grapes contain antioxidants. Oxidation is the breakdown of body cells, similar to the breakdown of metal when it rusts. In fact, the two processes share the same name. In the case of cholesterol health, some antioxidants in grapes actually slow the oxidation of LDL, which leads to clogging.

Pomegranates

Moll reports a National Academy of Sciences study that shows pomegranates increase the body’s natural production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps clean the blood vessels, reducing the arterial build-up of LDLs.

Citrus

Citrus fruits are high in pectin, which “You: The Owner’s Manual,” written by Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz, reports may help with cholesterol health. Pectin, the same stuff that binds together gelatin and jams, can bind acids and increase how much LDL your body naturally secretes. Grapes and pomegranates are two more high-pectin fruits.