Healthy Eating Tips: 7 Foods That Can Lower Your Bad Cholesterol

People who have high cholesterol are at a greater risk of having heart disease. The good news is that you can lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol and raise your "good" HDL cholesterol. You just need to observe some ways and make changes, especially in your diet.

Diet Watch

How to Lower LDL (‘Bad’) Cholesterol? Here are foods that can help! https://t.co/qRohLyfSBH pic.twitter.com/nyQCbVJ0FG

— Alinn Smith (@SmithAlinn) December 2, 2015

Food is one of the causes of high cholesterol levels. There are certain types of food that you really need to avoid, which can make your cholesterol level reach a high peak.

On the other hand, there are food that can lower your bad cholesterol naturally. Everyday Health and Prevention listed the following food that can lower your bad cholesterol. Get a glimpse of them and consider adding these healthy food to your diet.

1.   Oats and Oat Bran

Oats and oat bran have the ingredient that is called beta-glucan which is a water-soluble fiber that can help lower your bad cholesterol. The oat bran has also polyphenolic antioxidant compounds called avenanthramide that prevent plaque in building-up and inhibit inflammation.

2.   Salmon and Fatty Fish

Fish that contains omega-3 fatty acids can prevent heart disease and other diseases. These include salmon, herring, tuna and sardines. They can also raise good HDL cholesterol by 4 percent.

3.   Nuts

A snack food that can lower your bad cholesterol is nuts. According to a study, people who consumed 1.5 ounces of walnuts for 6 days a week in a month lowered their bad cholesterol by 9.3 percent. On the other hand, you should eat in moderation because nuts are high in calories.

4.  Beans

According to a study from Arizona State University, adding ½ cup of beans to a soup can lower your bad cholesterol by up to 8 percent. You may try eating kidney, pinto or black beans.

5.   Chocolate

Dark or bittersweet chocolate are rich in antioxidants that inhibit blood platelets from gluing together and can keep the arteries cleared. Chocolates can also build good HDL cholesterol.

6.  Garlic

Garlic can prevent blood clots and can lower your bad cholesterol. It can also lower blood pressure and protect you against infections.

7.  Apple

Eating a red apple every day can lower your bad cholesterol, as cited by another study. It has antioxidant polyphenols that can be found in the skin of the apple that helps in lowering LDL.