Five Foods That Can Lower Your Cholesterol!

When patients are diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, or high cholesterol, it is often recommended that they start a medication to get those levels under control. For patients with very high cholesterol levels this is typically the easiest and most effective way to reduce cholesterol levels to goal. When cholesterol levels are borderline high it is often possible to improve these levels with diet and weight loss. For patients wondering how to lower cholesterol using diet here are five foods that can decrease your cholesterol include:
1. Soy Proteins:  Soy is being studied as part of a new dietary concept for cholesterol to help bring levels down.  When used in combination with plant sterols, nuts and fiber, soy proteins have the power to lower LDL levels substantially.
2. Soluble Fiber:  Fiber in the form of oats, barley and vegetables like eggplant are valuable in stabilizing blood sugar glucometer readings and in lowering cholesterol.  Add two servings to your daily diet in combination with plant sterols, nuts and soy!
3. Fish:  Fatty fish like salmon contains triglyceride lowering omega-3 fatty acids.  The American Heart Association recommends that patients get at least two servings of fish per week.
4. Walnuts:  If you don't like fish try adding walnuts to your diet to get those important omega-3 fatty acids.  In addition, walnuts have been clinically proven to reduce LDL levels when used in combination with other cholesterol lowering foods.
5. Foods containing vitamin B3:  Vitamin B3 is also known as niacin.  Niacin works so well as a cholesterol lowering agent that the pharmaceutical industry markets its own version of this vitamin.  For only mildly elevated cholesterol, niacin from the diet may help to improve your readings.
Use these foods in combination with a low fat diet and exercise to help decrease your lipid levels.  In addition, weight loss also is a powerful tool in the fight against high cholesterol.