When people talk about lowering cholesterol, they’re referring to LDL cholesterol. HDL, its good twin, plays an important part in promoting heart health by scrubbing the arteries clean of LDL. You can reduce your LDL cholesterol count through diet in two ways–eating foods that reduce LDL levels, or eating foods that increase HDLs.
Blueberries

Blueberries contain a compound called pterostilbene, reports Steven Pratt, author of “Superfoods Rx.” Pterostilbene directly helps the body reduce its LDL count, in some cases as effectively as commercially available drugs. According to Pratt, currents, apples, plums and strawberries also contain pterostilbene, albeit in smaller concentrations.

Health coach Laurel Moll writes that avocados are rich in the unsaturated fats that stimulate your liver to produce HDL. Increased HDL levels lead to reduced levels of LDL, the bad cholesterol. Moll notes that the healthy fat concentration in avocados is comparable to that in olives and many legumes. [Read the rest of this entry...]