In most cases, when it comes to staying healthy, you can't go wrong by eating more vegetables. In fact, some vegetables are so nutritious that eating them may help lower your blood cholesterol levels. If you're concerned about your cholesterol, talk to your doctor about a diet to lower your numbers.
Diet and Cholesterol
Your body can manufacture its own cholesterol, but eating foods high in saturated and trans fats causes the body to make more than it needs. Unfortunately, this extra cholesterol is in the form of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, also known as the bad cholesterol that clogs arteries.
Change your diet to limit your intake of unhealthy fats and eat more nutritious foods, such as vegetables, as one way to help improve your cholesterol numbers and lower your risk of heart-related diseases.
Veggies With Soluble Fiber
Including vegetables rich in soluble fiber in your diet can help lower your cholesterol. In the digestive tract, soluble fiber binds with cholesterol, preventing it from being absorbed, and carrying it out of your body. Soluble-fiber rich, cholesterol-lowering vegetables include brussels sprouts, eggplant, okra, asparagus, turnips, collard greens, broccoli and sweet potatoes, as well as legumes such as chickpeas, navy beans and lentils.
Getting Your Phytosterols
Phytosterols are substances found in plant foods that resemble cholesterol. In your body, phytosterols limit the absorption of cholesterol, which helps lower your numbers. Vegetables rich in phytosterols include soybeans, beets, asparagus, onions, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and okra. While these vegetables can help you get more phytosterols in your diet, combining them with other foods rich in the nutrient, such as plant oils, nuts and seeds, can also help. The Linus Pauling Institute says people on a vegetarian or vegan diet have the highest intakes of phytosterols.
Sulfur-Containing Vegetables
Most of the research on sulfur-containing foods has been done with garlic, but leeks and onions are also rich in the cholesterol-lowering compound. A 2010 study published in the "European Journal of Experimental Biology" found that onion extract helped reduce cholesterol in adult rats. More research is necessary before definitive claims can be made, but as a low-calorie nutrient-rich food, onions may provide health benefits beyond lowering cholesterol.
Spicy Peppers
The substance responsible for the heat in cayenne, habanero and jalapeno peppers, capsaicin, may also help improve cholesterol levels, according to a 2013 study published in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry." This study found a reduction in cholesterol levels in rats fed capsaicin. The researchers noted that the capsaicin inhibited the production of cholesterol in the liver, as well as helped rid the body of excess cholesterol via stool.
References
- American Heart Association: About Cholesterol
- Harvard Medical School: 11 Foods That Lower Cholesterol
- American Heart Association: Phytochemicals and Cardiovascular Disease
- American Heart Association: Good vs. Bad Cholesterol
- American Heart Association: The American Heart Association's Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations
- Dietitians of Canada: Food Sources of Soluble Fibre
- Linus Pauling Institute: Phytosterols
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Food Nutrient Database: Nutrients List: Phytosterols: Vegetables and Vegetable Products
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: Hypocholesterolemic Effect of Capsaicinoids in Rats Fed Diets With or Without Cholesterol
Writer Bio
Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian and health coach who has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 15 years. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Diabetes Self-Management and in the book "Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation," edited by John R. Bach, M.D. Corleone holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition.
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