September is Cholesterol Education Month.

What a better time of year to eat right to reduce your cholesterol than during a month set aside to make you aware of “your numbers” and how you can get them lower.

With the theme “Know your cholesterol numbers—Know your risk—Give yourself some TLC,” experts hope that 65 million adults with high cholesterol can make the therapeutic lifestyle changes—that’s the TLC—to get in shape and lower their risk for heart disease.

The federal government’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute launched the National Cholesterol Education Program and the special month in 1985 to reduce illness and death from coronary heart disease by slashing the percentage of Americans with high cholesterol.

Cholesterol as the culprit

Cholesterol, a fatlike substance produced in your liver, is found in everyone’s bloodstream and is required for health and building of cells. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs, but the typical person usually takes in much more through dietary choices.

High total cholesterol and high LDL “bad” cholesterol levels are major risk factors for heart disease. Lowering these cholesterol numbers and raising HDL “good” cholesterol—which may help flash its bad sibling from your blood—reduces your risk.

So health experts recommend maintaining high levels of the “good” stuff, low levels of the “bad,” by exercising regularly, keeping your weight within normal ranges, and watching what you eat. Keep in mind that you still need to see your doctor for possible cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Cornucopia of cholesterol-lowering foods

But when it comes to food, look no further than your pantry and refrigerator for the top cholesterol-lowering goodies. Health experts say an abundance of foods - from blueberries and beans to oatmeal and omega-3s - may help reduce the "bad" and increase the "good." And those benefits mostly come from soluble fiber in the foods.

For instance, five to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day can decrease "bad" cholesterol byb about 5 percent. Eating 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 4.5 grams of fiber, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

Of course, moderation is still the key. Take walnuts, for example.

Flooding over with “good” polyunsaturated fat, walnuts apparently help your blood vessels stay elastic. For instance, a diet in which 20 percent of calories come from walnuts may reduce “bad” cholesterol by 12 percent.

However, walnuts and other nuts are high in calories, so just a handful at a time, not a whole jar. Noshing too many nuts will make you gain weight—and place you at just a higher risk of heart disease as high cholesterol. Still, walnuts, almonds and other nuts are better for you than foods loaded with saturated fat.

The sterol and stanol splash 

What's more, foods fortified with plant sterols or stanols are making major splashes in the nutrition world. You’ll find more foods with sterols and stanols, which are substances found in plants that may help block cholesterol absorption. For instance, fortified margarines and orange juice can help reduce “bad” cholesterol by more than 10 percent.

Sterols and stanols also are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oils.

Adding 2 grams of sterols or stanols to your diet can help lower your total cholesterol by about 10 percent, which translates to a 20-percent lower risk of heart disease, American and European researchers say.

Now that you know the foods that lower your cholesterol, try these recipes!

•  Nubella’s 6,000-plus Recipe Database and Healthy Cooking Center.

•  Cannery Row Soup—What would Steinbeck think of using fish and clam juice makes this tasty soup heart-healthy?

•  Oven-Fried Yucca—using cooking oil spray cuts back on fat.

•  Pupusas Revueltas with Chicken—Bet you don’t know what “pupusas revueltas” means. Ground chicken and low-fat cheese help reduce fat and calories.

•  Yosemite Chicken Stew & Dumplings--Skinless chicken is the basis of this delicious stew with cornmeal dumplings made with low-fat milk.

•  Fish Veronique—Defatted chicken broth and low-fat milk lower the fat content, yet give the sauce a rich creamy taste.

•  Chayotes Stuffed with Cheese—Your heart won't think it's coyote ugly.

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Nubella News, a division of Marketing Technology Solutions, Inc., offers content intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We encourage our readers to seek prompt medical care for health issues and consult their physicians before starting a new diet, fitness regimen, or medical treatment.