Best Diet to Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
Diet to lower cholesterol and blood pressure – Heart-healthy diet choices and lifestyle changes can positively impact your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. What you eat in a day has a lot to do with your health and well-being.
If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol or blood pressure, chances are, you are following a low-fiber and high-fat meal plan. However, making alterations to your diet plan can help you lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
Including low-fat (or ‘good’ fat) and high-fiber foods in your diet would certainly help against the increasing numbers of cholesterol and blood pressure. Plus, you need to watch over the daily sodium intake too.
Diet to Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure – Let’s Find Out
Cholesterol is a fatty deposit that flows through your bloodstream if you are not following a balanced and healthy diet. LDL or Low-Density Lipoprotein is the ‘bad’ cholesterol that builds up in the arteries causing serious heart-health issues.
HDL or High-Density Lipoprotein is the ‘good’ cholesterol that protects against the blood clots causing heart diseases.
Following a heart-healthy diet and modifying the recipes that you eat can help you reduce LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol. With that said, let’s share the diet to lower cholesterol and blood pressure fast, right here.
Diet to Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure – Citrus Fruits
1. Fruits
Fruits, especially citrus fruits, are a must-have for those dealing with serious cholesterol and blood pressure issues. Grapes, berries, and oranges contain higher amounts of pectin soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol real quickly.
The anti-inflammatory quality of fruits is excellent to protect your body against various chronic heart and health illnesses.
Adding citrus or other fruits to your daily meal plan would work great to increase HDL and reduce LDL cholesterol in your body.
Skinless Meat and Fish
2. Lean Meats & Fatty Fish
Skinless meat and fatty fish are also good sources of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. Salmon, Tuna, and Mackerel are the popular fish types that you can include in your diet with a limited amount of lean meat.
Take note that you should always follow a healthy way of cooking your favorite meats and fish. That’s because deep-frying meat or fish increases bad cholesterol in the body resulting in serious health issues.
The omega-3 fatty acids present in fish help reduce the risks of cholesterol and stroke.
Diet to Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure – Include Veggies to Your Meal Plan
3. Veggies
With fruits, you should include multiple vegetables in your daily meal plan. Vegetables are a rich source of fiber (pectin soluble fiber) and thus protect you against many heart diseases.
Potatoes, carrots, and green leafy veggies (kale, spinach, broccoli, & lettuce) deliver numerous health benefits, including antioxidant & anti-inflammatory properties and carotenoids that help lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
Reduce Cholesterol with SOY
4. Soy
Soy and soy-based products are excellent for reducing cholesterol. Soybeans, soy foods, and soy milk can lower LDL cholesterol by a good percentage, decreasing the risks of various heart diseases.
Consuming a sufficient amount of soy every day is highly beneficial for overall health. Regular intake of soy in your meal plan would work the best to keep your body weight balanced and heart health in sound shape.
Add Oatmeal to Your Diet
5. Oats
Expert nutritionists suggest consuming 30-35 grams of fiber a day, and that’s what you easily get from a diet full of oats.
When finding ways to lower your cholesterol, oatmeal or oats-based food recipes would work the best for heart health.
People dealing with high cholesterol must include oats in their meal plan, as it is a powerful method to reduce LDL and increase HDL cholesterol in the body.
The soluble-fiber present in oats supports heart health and also takes care of the blood pressure and cholesterol levels in your body. Those who consume oats every day (especially for breakfast) have decreased risks of heart diseases.
Add Nuts to Your Meal Plan
6. Nuts
Almonds, walnuts, cashews, and peanuts contain extreme amounts of nutrients that are highly beneficial for the heart and overall wellbeing.
The ratios of fiber, calcium, minerals, magnesium, potassium, and calories found in the nuts are really good for the body.
Nuts are known to reduce blood pressure and decrease the risks of coronary heart issues by a high percentage.
The fibers present in these nuts are praised for improving heart health and regulating blood pressure.
