Lower Your Cholesterol With Superfoods
By Sandy Schroeder
If you are concerned about your cholesterol level creeping up, now's the time to put your diet to work to increase good cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol that builds up on artery walls and increases the chances of heart disease. Check with your doctor if you do not know your cholesterol numbers and then see what you can do to improve them.
Harvard Health suggests these superfoods to provide cholesterol lowering fiber and unsaturated fat.
Try all sorts of beans - White navy beans, black beans, kidney beans or garbanzos can be mixed into soups, salads or chili. Whip up black bean tacos or a savory navy bean soup. Avoid canned baked beans that are loaded with sugary sauces.
Enjoy old-fashioned oatmeal - Start the day with a bowl of oats topped with fresh fruit or Greek yogurt and dark chocolate cocoa. For more flavor mix in peanut or almond butter.
Enjoy an avocado - Get healthy fats and fiber in your favorite avocado on toast, guacamole with chips or sliced into a green salad.
Reach for fresh carrots - Get some crisp fiber in baby carrots for snacks or chop them up in a salad.
Opt or almonds - These fiber leaders easily replace chips, followed closely by pistachios, walnuts and pecans.
Add some berries - Raspberries and blackberries provide the most fiber followed by strawberries and blueberries. Bake tarts, or pies and use them to top your morning cereal.
Try cauliflower as a pizza crust - Or serve it in place of rice or mashed potatoes.
Serve salmon - Replace beef with cold-water fish such as salmon to get healthy omega-3 fats. Grill for dinner and choose chunk light canned tuna or sardines for lunch.
Discover eggplant - Savory baked eggplant casserole with a rich tomato sauce can be dinner with salad and bread. Or fix baba ghanoush, a Middle Eastern dip made from grilled and mashed eggplant slices.
Serve kiwi fruit - Slice in half and spoon up the rich sweet treat that's full of healthy fiber. Or peel and slice to serve with a platter full of strawberries,
Play around with these superfoods to get the tastes your family loves. Look for new recipes and shop your local fish and farmers markets for fresh ingredients. Then set the table, hide the electronics, and sit down with family and friends to savor some satisfying dinners.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Schaumburg, Ill.