If you’re looking to lower your cholesterol levels you might want to think about changing what you eat first thing in the morning
People living with high cholesterol could lower their levels by adding two specific breakfasts to their diets. Having high cholesterol means you have too much of a fatty substance known as cholesterol in your blood.
While a certain amount of it is needed, too much can cause build-ups of fatty deposits. Over time this can narrow and even harden artery walls making it hard for blood to pass through.
For this reason, having high cholesterol is a major risk factor for a number of serious health conditions, including heart disease and stroke. Worryingly, the NHS says around two in five people in the UK are living with high cholesterol.
A leading cause of high cholesterol is diet, with foods high in saturated fats the worst culprits. Luckily though there are certain foods that can help to lower levels.
Experts at Heart UK explained: “There are several foods which are not just part of a healthy diet, they can actively help to lower your cholesterol too. Try to eat some of these every day as part of your healthy diet.
“The more you add them to what you eat, the more they can help lower your cholesterol, especially if you cut down on saturated fat as well.” With this in mind, they recommended some foods that could help to do so.
Among those with cholesterol-lowering properties were two popular breakfast foods: porridge and beans.
Porridge
According to Heart UK, oats are rich in a type of fibre called beta glucan. The charity said: “Eating three grams of beta glucan a day as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle can help to lower cholesterol.”
This is because when you eat beta glucan, it forms a gel which binds to cholesterol-rich bile acids in the intestines. “This helps limit the amount of cholesterol that is absorbed from the gut into your blood,” Heart UK said.
“Your liver then has to take more cholesterol out of your blood to make more bile, which lowers your blood cholesterol.” Therefore, Heart UK advised eating a bowl of porridge, which is roughly 30 grams of dry oats or one sachet of instant porridge, every day. This counts towards a third of the recommended daily amount of beta glucan.
To further improve the health benefits of your porridge you can also add fruit and nuts on top. Other beta glucan-rich foods include:
- Oat drinks containing beta glucans
- Breakfast cereal oat type biscuits
- Oat bran
- Oatcakes
- Pearl barley
Baked beans
Beans on toast is a staple British meal. Combining baked beans with wholemeal toast could be another way to help lower your cholesterol levels.
The fibre content of beans is what aids in reducing cholesterol. Heart UK said: “Some types of fibre can help to lower your cholesterol. It blocks some cholesterol from being absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream. Pulses such as beans, peas and lentils are particularly high in this kind of fibre. Sweet potato, aubergine, okra (ladies’ fingers), broccoli, apples, strawberries and prunes are also good options.”
In terms of the toast, Heart UK added that wholemeal bread can contain both beta glucan and fibre. The NHS also recommends including more wholegrain bread in your diet as well as swapping out white pasta and rice for brown as a way to lower cholesterol.
Other foods to eat more of if you are worried about your cholesterol levels, according to the NHS, are:
- Oily fish, like mackerel and salmon
- Olive oil, rapeseed oil and spreads made from these oils
- Nuts and seeds
- Fruits and vegetables
You should also exercise regularly, cut back on drinking and quit smoking if possible. If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels you should speak to your GP.
