Natural Way to Reduce Cholesterol: Consume More Nuts!
Looking for a natural way to reduce cholesterol? Changing your diet is the single best way to do so. Nuts in particular have repeatedly been shown to be great for reducing cholesterol, according to numerous studies that were reviewed by Loma Linda University. On average, eating a small bag of nuts (67 grams) each day could reduce cholesterol levels by 7.4%, according to the BBC.
Consuming Nuts a Natural Way to Reduce Cholesterol
We aren’t talking about honey roasted peanuts or chocolate covered almonds here, but raw or roasted plain nuts.
Numerous studies have been done on the positive effects of nuts, but this latest review looked at many of them, establishing hard numbers rather than just a casual link.
According to the BBC:
The people involved ate 67g of nuts a day on average, over a period of three to eight weeks.
As well as improving cholesterol levels, it also reduced the amount of triglyceride, a type of blood fat that has been linked to heart disease.
However, the impact was least pronounced among the overweight.
It is not yet clear why nuts have this effect, although one suggestion is that it is down to the plant sterols they contain, which are thought to interfere with cholesterol absorption.
It’s important to note that the study was done by independent researchers but was funded in part by the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research and Education Foundation.
Obviously, not all nuts are the same. And even when the sugar and salt is removed, some are more nutritionally potent than others. If consuming nuts as a natural way to reduce cholesterol, try sticking with this selection:
Walnuts are good because they contain plenty of omega 3 fatty acids. They also contain ellagic acid, a powerful antioxidant.
Almonds are loaded with magnesium and calcium. They also contain vitamin E and selenium.
Brazil nuts are also rich in vitamin E, but also have much copper, niacin, fiber and protein.
A handful of nuts when you need a snack is much better than chips and satisfies the same cravings. Throw them in a salad or crushed on top of your main course.
Another natural way to reduce cholesterol in terms of eating is to consume tea, fish, beans, and use olive oil.
Additional Sources:
Ben Evans, I am thinking you may have got the HDL and the LDL mixed up, I believe it is actually the HDL that is the good. Otherwise I think all the comments relating to this article are interesting in dispelling what the doctors try to tell us. Let's face it, if we didn't take their advice and remain ill they'd be out of a job.
Lee Schelin,
Your right we do need cholesterol and why doctors give people drugs to reduce it is insane. What is causing heart and all health problems is inflammation cause by the hydrogenated oil or trans fat oil we eat and the high sugar foods we eat. I also did research, while trying to regain my health. I was very sick due to what I ate. I started doing research and found many things. One of them was the benefit of nuts.
Inflammation, Free Radicals and the Health Benefits of Nuts.
http://coconutcreamcare.com/2012/08/30/inflammati…
Isn't interesting how we have so many drugs to counter heart problems yet we have one of the highest rates of heart disease anywhere?? Seems to me that if they worked so well, the numbers would reflect that.
My mother is 95 and has always had very high cholesterol and takes only a low dose asprin a day and nothing else.She is in excellent health and lives on her own.
Cholesterol is indeed no enemy of ours, we have HDL('considered' bad) and LDH (good) cholesterols, in the same way we have saturated ('considered' bad, in fact extremely good! Check out coconut oil) and unsaturated fats. Our body needs it. Cholesterol does not block our arteries. Heavy minerals and toxins do. This allows substances to build, thickening and hardening, and line our artery walls. This is the cause of heart failure, high blood pressure etc in most cases.
Your article assumes that high cholesterol is bad, we need cholesterol. It has nothing to do with what we eat, cholesterol is produced by our liver and it produces what our bodies need at the moment. As a 71 year old person who has experiences two heart attacks I can say that my cholesterol has never exceeded 147…it isn't cholesterol that causes heart attacks, latest info I've read is the culprit is some types of bacteria