When you’re watching your cholesterol, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to starve yourself between meals. Doing so may actually cause blood sugar imbalances that make the cholesterol even worse. It is always best to have smaller meals throughout the day, and that’s when snacking comes into play. Make the most of your snacks to help lower cholesterol.
The best thing to do is fill up on fresh fruits and vegetables along with cholesterol-lowering oats and whole grains. Be sure to provide your body with enough protein while you’re at it.
Here are some of the best snacks to munch:
- Oatmeal
- Popcorn
- Nuts
- Fresh veggies with hummus
- Fresh fruits
- Potato chips homemade
- Homemade veggie soup packed with beans
- Whole grain bread
Oatmeal is known as cholesterol-lowering food as is popcorn due to the whole grain properties that make it high in fiber. Oatmeal is actually thought to absorb or eat up bad cholesterol almost as if it runs through your bloodstream cleaning up. Nuts help to lower cholesterol by replacing saturated fats with a more healthy monounsaturated fat. Of course, make sure the nuts are not heavily salted or processed in other ways to counteract the benefits. If your nut of choice is an almond, you will also help to keep LDL from oxidizing which, if left unchecked, could cause more arterial damage.
It’s no surprise that fresh fruits and veggies are on the list, but if you add heart-healthy hummus as a dip, you boost the powerful cholesterol-lowering properties and make the veggies more filling and tasty at the same time. If you throw your veggies into a pot of soup and add some beans, you add extra special cholesterol-lowering benefits along with plenty of protein which is necessary in staying healthy and balanced as well.
Don’t feel like you have to forfeit every treat or exchange every last nibble for oatmeal or fruit just to keep a healthy cholesterol level. Potato chips are one snack that many have a lot of trouble giving up. But, they are even healthier when you make them yourself. Without the unwanted salt and saturated cooking fats, potatoes offer blood pressure-lowering potassium and are high in fiber.
Homemade bread is also a great option for lowering cholesterol. When you use whole grain bread, you are going to provide your body with needed fiber while you control the ingredients that go into making the bread. Add some fruit or veggies to the bread for an extra healthy boost. A fresh-baked loaf of healthy bread also makes the house smell amazing which could help in lowering stress levels. So, it’s overall a win-win.