How Can Eating Foods Rich In Starches And Dietary Fiber Help Lower Blood Cholesterol?
Eating more of the foods rich in starches and dietary fiber – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds – can help lower your cholesterol level in several ways: • Carbohydrate-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are naturally low in calories. When you eat more of these foods, you will eat less of the foods higher in fat and cholesterol. • Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts and seeds are good sources of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber, especially a certain type of fiber called soluble fiber, can help lower cholesterol levels by sweeping cholesterol out of the body before it gets to the bloodstream. Especially high in soluble fiber are foods such as oat bran, beans, peas, rice bran, citrus fruits, and psyllium seed (the main ingredient in Metamucil, a fiber supplement available at pharmacies and grocery stores). • Carbohydrate-rich fruits and vegetables also contain vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene and other substances that function as antio
