4 “Functional” Foods That Can Help Lower Your Cholesterol

When it comes to cholesterol, small changes can add up. You may already know that regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, and taking medications when prescribed can all play an important role in managing cholesterol. But your everyday food choices matter, too.

Certain foods contain nutrients and compounds that may provide benefits beyond basic nutrition. These are often called functional foods, and some can be especially helpful when you're looking to support healthy cholesterol levels.

High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease, which remains the leading cause of death among adults in the United States. As a dietitian, I love recommending what you can add to your diet for your heart rather than taking things away. Including more of the following foods to your eating routine is a smart choice for any one looking to eat better for their heart.

Know Your Cholesterol Numbers

Before we talk about foods that can support healthy cholesterol levels, its important to understand what those numbers on your cholesterol test actually mean.

A standard cholesterol panel typically includes total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. The American Heart Association recommends getting your cholesterol checked every 4 to 6 years starting at 20 years old and more frequently if you are at higher risk.

Your HDL, LDL, triglycerides, blood pressure, age, family history, and other risk factors all contribute to your overall heart-health picture.

Start With an Overall Heart-Healthy Eating Pattern

Experts recommend focusing on an overall healthy dietary pattern rather than relying on one particular food or nutrient for improving cholesterol. That means we all should be filling our plates more often with:

• Whole grains
• Fruits and vegetables
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy products
• Skinless poultry and fish
• Nuts and legumes
• Non-tropical vegetable oils

And just as important, try to limit foods high in saturated fat, added sugars, and excess sodium.

While the overall diet is important, the following 4 functional food have been connected to having a positive effect on cholesterol numbers.

4 Cholesterol-Lowering Foods

1. Oats

There's a reason oatmeal has earned its reputation as a heart-healthy breakfast. Oats are rich in a type of viscous soluble fiber called beta-glucan. When you eat it, this fiber forms a gel-like substance in your digestive tract that can help reduce the absorption of cholesterol.

In the intestines, this fiber binds to cholesterol-rich bile acids, passing them out of the body as waste rather than reabsorbing them. Getting about 3 grams of beta-glucan per day from oats and other whole grains has been shown to help lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

Easy ways to eat more oats:

• Start your morning with oatmeal topped with berries and nuts.
• Add old-fashioned oats to smoothies.
• Use oats in homemade muffins or energy bites.
• Choose meals that include oats or other whole grains throughout the week.

Remember, oatmeal doesn't have to be boring! Fruit, cinnamon, nuts, seeds, or a spoonful of natural peanut butter can turn a basic bowl into a satisfying meal.

2. Soy Foods

Soybeans and foods made from soy, like tofu, tempeh, edamame, and soy beverages, can be another heart-smart addition to your diet. Soy foods provide protein along with a variety of plant compounds called phytonutrients that may promote heart health.

Research doesn't necessarily show that soy protein dramatically lowers cholesterol on its own. However, there's an indirect benefit if soy replaces food high in saturated fat.

For example, choosing tofu or tempeh instead of a food high in saturated fat may help improve the overall fat quality of your diet. Consuming around 25 grams of soy protein per day from foods, not supplements or isolated soy protein, may have a modest cholesterol-lowering effect. Certain analyses show about 5-6%.

Try this:

• Try edamame as a snack or add it to salads, grain bowls, or stir-fries.
• Swap some of the meat in stir-fries or bowls for edamame or tofu.
• Try a glass of unsweetened soy milk in place of your usual milk.
• Look for meals made with tofu, edamame, or other soy foods.

3. Nuts

When included as part of a healthy diet, nuts positively impact risk factors for cardiovascular disease, especially cholesterol levels. Although nuts are high in fat, they contain mostly healthy unsaturated fat. 

When eaten as part of an overall healthy diet, nuts may help improve cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors. The FDA has approved a Qualified Health Claim for nuts and heart disease stating that "1.5 ounces per da of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk for heart disease."

But there's one thing to remember, portion size matters. Nuts are nutrient-dense, but they're also calorie-dense. A typical serving is about 1 ounce, or roughly ¼ cup.

Try adding a small handful of nuts to oatmeal, yogurt, salads, or snacks. Choose unsalted varieties when possible to help keep sodium in check.

4. Fatty Fish

If you're looking for a food that checks several heart-health boxes at once, fish is a great choice. Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, trout, and mackerel provide omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with several cardiovascular benefits.

The American Heart Association and the Mediterranean diet both recommend eating fish at least twice a week, particularly fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Research suggests that omega-3's may help prevent arteries from hardening, lower triglycerides, and modestly reduce blood pressure.

And there's another advantage: when fish replaces foods higher in saturated fat, such as fatty cuts of red meat, you're making a heart-smart swap that can help support healthier LDL cholesterol levels.

Easy idea:

Try baked salmon with roasted vegetables and a whole grain for a simple, heart-healthy dinner.

Think Bigger Than One Food

There's no single food that can magically fix your cholesterol and you don't need to eat the same four foods every day. Instead, focus on building a pattern of eating that includes a variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, fish, and other nutrient-rich foods.

Small swaps can make it easy and realistic:

• Choose oatmeal instead of a sugary breakfast pastry.
• Add a small handful of nuts to your afternoon snack.
• Choose fish instead of a higher-fat meat.
• Add beans or soy foods to your weekly meal rotation.
• Choose whole grains more often.
• Fill more of your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables.

The next time you're thinking about how to improve your cholesterol, don't just think about what you need to cut out. Think about the heart-healthy foods you can add to your plate.