Plant It on Your Plate

Plant-based foods may help you rein in high cholesterol. Although a diet that is low in fat and saturated fat may help lower both total and LDL cholesterol, a new study suggests you could do more. Eating a variety of veggies, whole grains, and legumes appears to make the usual low-fat, cholesterol-control diet even more effective.

A low-fat diet is a good first step toward lowering high levels of total and LDL cholesterol. In a recent study, researchers placed 120 men and women between 30 and 65 years of age with LDL cholesterol levels of 130 to 190 mg/dL on either a traditional low-fat diet or one that included plant-based foods such as vegetables, whole grains, and legumes for 4 weeks. Participants in both groups experienced drops in LDL and total cholesterol, but those on the low-fat, plant-based diet experienced greater reductions. Plant sterol compounds in the plant-based foods may be responsible for the effect. Regular, moderately intense exercise can help lower cholesterol further. Sneak more vegetables and legumes into your diet by stuffing heaps of leafy green lettuce and tomato into sandwiches, adding frozen broccoli and white beans to marinara sauce, topping salads with garbanzo beans, adding frozen vegetables to pizzas and soups, and keeping chopped vegetables on hand at all times for snacking.


The effect of a plant-based diet on plasma lipids in hypercholesterolemic adults: a randomized trial. Gardner, C. D., Coulston, A., Chatterjee, L., Rigby, A., Spiller, G., Farquhar, J. W., Annals of Internal Medicine 2005 May 3;142(9):725-733.

Cheers,
Eve



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