It is necessary to maintain a normal cholesterol level since high cholesterol causes clogging of arteries and increases your chances of heart attack. Your blood contains two types of cholesterol: HDL cholesterol, which is beneficial for the heart and is also called as good cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, which is harmful for the heart and is referred to as bad cholesterol. People who suffer from high cholesterol are often prescribed cholesterol lowering prescription drugs. However, natural remedies are much better than prescription medications. These include eating healthy foods, living an active life, quitting smoking, and controlling stress. This article focuses on foods that you should eat in order to maintain normal cholesterol levels.

Fruits

Blueberries contain pterostilbene, which is a compound that is capable of fighting fat. Pterostilbene is even better than certain prescription drugs when it comes to controlling cholesterol. This makes blueberries one of the best heart healthy foods. Other fruits like apples, strawberries, and grapes are also effective in naturally lowering the cholesterol levels. Resveratrol present in red grapes is another powerful compound that has the ability to reduce bad cholesterol levels. Eating a bunch of red grapes on a regular basis can be of great help in improving your heart health. Eating organs daily is another good way of lowering the cholesterol level. This is because oranges contain pectin, which is a compound that prevents the cholesterol from getting absorbed into the bloodstream.

Nuts

Nuts like pistachios, almonds, and walnuts are excellent sources of healthy fats and antioxidants. Despite having a high calorie count, nuts can be very useful for reducing bad cholesterol when consumed in moderation. Eating walnuts and almonds in the morning is a nice way of keeping cholesterol levels under control.

Yogurt

Yogurt can also be helpful in maintaining good heart health. It contains live cultures, which are good bacteria that can be very useful in binding bile acid, which is a cholesterol byproduct. The activities performed by good bacteria can play an important role in lowering cholesterol naturally.

Fish

Fish is one of the best cholesterol foods since it is high in omega 3 essential fatty acids, which are considered to be very healthy for the heart. Studies have shown that a diet that contains sufficient amounts of omega 3 essential fatty acids increases good cholesterol and decreases triglyceride levels. Eating just about two servings of salmon every week is good enough to get sufficient omega 3 fatty acids and keep the cholesterol levels in check.

Foods Containing Soluble Fiber

Consuming only about twenty five grams of soluble fiber can significantly reduce the cholesterol levels. Fruits and vegetables like bananas, apples, oranges, broccoli, peas, kidney beans, and lentils are some of the richest sources of soluble fiber. Oatmeal and oat bran also contain soluble fiber that helps to lower cholesterol levels.

Olive Oil

Using olive oil for cooking can go a long way in helping to keep cholesterol level under control. It contains quite a few powerful antioxidants and has shown to reduce cholesterol.

Juices

Drinking orange juice on a regular basis has shown to increase good cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol. Pectin present in oranges promotes good heart health. Pomegranate juice is also a healthy drink for the heart and is known to reduce plaque in the arteries. Pomegranate juice has shown to repair the damage that is caused by hardening of arteries or arteriosclerosis.