Our irregular lifestyles coupled with poor eating habits result in a host of lifestyle issues, one of them being high cholesterol, which can later lead to heart disease and blood pressure. While medicines are helpful in keeping your levels in check, eating right and adding a supplement to your diet will ensure that you don’t have to deal with elevated triglyceride levels altogether. Some foods are filled with fibre that acts like a broom that drags away all the bad cholesterol others contain certain chemicals that prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol altogether. But what foods should one consume to reduce their LDL levels? Here’s a guide:

1.Whole grains: Barley, jowar, ragi and other whole grains are filled with soluble fibre that sweeps cholesterol out of your system. They also keep you full for longer so you eat less and keep your weight in check.

2. Oats: Skip the instant oats and flavoured oats as they are not very high on fibre and in case of the latter are filled with harmful additives and high amounts of salt or sugar. Stick to steel rolled or hand cut oats to your 20 to 35 grams of fibre a day.

3. Beans: These little nuggets are wonderfully rich in fibre. They also help with weight loss as they take longer to digest. With a wide variety of beans on offer, from kidney to chickpeas, one can eat a bean a day and still not get bored.

4. Eggplant and okra. Want a low-calorie option to bust cholesterol? Try adding these fibre-rich foods to your meal!

5. Apple, grapes, citrus fruits: An apple a day can keep your cardiologist at bay! These delicious fruits contain pectin, a soluble fibre that attacks LDL to lower it.

6. Nuts: Add a handful of nuts to your diet to get a boost of heart-protecting omega-3 fatty acids.

7. Vegetable oils: The next time you cook, reach out for heart-healthy oils like canola, sunflower and rice bran instead of butter or Dalda to reduce your LDL levels.

8. Omega-3 supplements: Extracted from fish or cod livers, omega-3 nutritional dietary supplements like Pure Nutrition Omega 3  can go a long way in reducing your LDL levels while boosting your HDL levels. Those who are struggling to add omega-3 rich foods to their diet should definitely buy dietary supplements such as these.

9. Soy: Add soybean or foods made of soybeans such as tofu or soy milk to your diet to lower your cholesterol levels to a significant extent.

10. Fatty fish: Salmon, mackerel and other fatty sea fishes are not only a healthier alternative to meat, but they are also great sources of omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce triglycerides in your bloodstream!

11. Fibre supplements: Still struggling to add fibre to your meals? Add a fibre dietary supplement like psyllium husk or isabgol to your diet to add bulk to your diet.


So if you too are looking for ways to bust that bad cholesterol, it is time to start eating right straight away!