Healthy Heart: Cut Cholesterol with Fiber

Cut Cholesterol with Fiber - Oatmeal, barley, and psyllium are rich sources of soluble fiber, which can help reduce your cholesterol. Barley and oatmeal both contain beta-glucans, soluble fibers that help lower your LDL (Bad) cholesterol by preventing it from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Psyllium is found in cereals and supplements and may slash your LDL by triggering an increase in your body's excretion of bile acid, the digestive fluid that cholesterol is converted into. Drink a daily glass of tomato juice; it's rich in lycopene, a nutrient that may cut your body's production of LDL cholesterol. People who consumed about a glass and a half of tomato juice and ate 2 tablespoons of ketchup every day for 3 weeks reduced their LDL levels by an average of 8.5 percent, according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition. Opt for low-salt varieties since sodium can raise blood pressure.

Source: Men's Health