Increasing the consumption of fiber daily is a great strategy to lower blood cholesterol levels and therefore you should invest in foods such as whole grains, unpeeled fruits and vegetables.
Adding seeds like sesame, flaxseed, sunflower and poppy to yogurt, for example, is a very easy way to increase the amount of fiber you consume regularly, being a good way to control cholesterol and also improve intestinal transit.
Why fibers help lower cholesterol
Fibers help control cholesterol because they carry small fat molecules to the fecal cake, which can be eliminated naturally by the body, but in order to have the expected effect it is also important to drink plenty of water or clear liquids like unsweetened tea to ensure that the cake closes is softer and can go through the entire intestine, being eliminated more easily.
Some examples of high fiber foods are:
- Vegetables: green beans, cabbage, beets, okra, spinach, eggplant; Fruits: strawberry, orange, pear, apple, papaya, pineapple, mango, grape; Grains: lentils, peas, beans, soybeans and chickpeas; Flours: whole wheat, oat bran, wheat germ; Ready foods: brown rice, seed bread, whole grain biscuit; Seeds: flaxseed, sesame, sunflower, poppy.
The function of dietary fibers is mainly to regulate intestinal transit but they also provide a feeling of satiety, they have the ability to interfere in the absorption of sugars and fats, thus being an important tool for the control of weight, cholesterol and also triglycerides.
What are soluble and insoluble fibers
Soluble fibers are those that dissolve in water and insoluble fibers are those that do not dissolve in water. For cholesterol control, the most suitable are the soluble fibers that dissolve in water form a gel and remain longer in the stomach, thus giving a greater feeling of satiety. These fibers also bind to fat and sugar which are then eliminated in the stool.
Insoluble fibers, as they do not dissolve in water, they accelerate intestinal transit because they increase the volume of feces because they remain intact throughout the intestinal transit improving constipation, and helping to reduce the appearance of hemorrhoids and inflammation of the intestine but are not efficient in controlling cholesterol.
A good way to consume the exact amount of fiber that helps control cholesterol is through a fiber supplement such as Benefiber, for example.
