North Shore Shape Up: Foods that lower cholesterol

Berkeley Wellness has a useful list of foods that lower cholesterol. Their experts note that the best ways to reduce your “bad” LDL cholesterol without medication are to consume less saturated fat and trans fat, and to lose weight. Eating the foods on their list helps too. Some items of note:

  • You should try to eat four or five cups of fresh produce (vegetables or fruits) every day.
  • Half a cup of beans can help reduce cholesterol.
  • Eating 1 to 3 ounces of nearly any kind of nuts each day can seriously improve your cholesterol. Watch your serving sizes, though — nuts are really calorie-dense.
  • Fish is good for you — and generally healthier than meat — but early findings that fatty fish could help fight cholesterol seem to have been refuted by later studies.
  • And despite a lot of hype, there’s no evidence that garlic helps with cholesterol or improves heart health at all

If you can’t access the list from work, you can download a PDF here. Happy eating!

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