Cholesterol and heart health is a very important part of many people’s lives.  There are many foods you can eat to help in the fight for a healthy heart. Reducing your cholesterol is important if it is high to help reduce your chances for heart attacks and increases your heart health. By focusing on your heart health you also reduce your chances of having to go through painful surgeries like angioplasty and bypass surgeries.

Garlic is the first simple food you can increase in your diet.  Garlic contains a compound called allicin. Allicin has been linked to lowering cholesterol and reducing blood clotting. To maximize the health benefits of garlic it should be eaten raw. Eating lots of foods with garlic is fairly easy if you like Italian and Tuscan foods.

To get mass amounts of omega fatty acids you should eat fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, cod, and halibut. These essential fatty acids are linked to reducing clotting and to over all heart health. If fish isn’t your first choice of foods to eat, you can also get your omega fatty acids from vegetable oils such as canola, olive, and flax seed oil.

Barley, oats and other whole grains have a lot of soluble fiber in them.  Soluble fiber help to keep your body from absorbing bad cholesterol. Ideally you should try to get 25 grams of fiber a day, most people get considerably less then this a day.

Beans such as kidney, green, and black, like whole grains, have high levels of soluble fiber.  Beans also contain many B vitamins and Omega fatty acids.

Almonds and walnuts contain omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, and mono and polyunsaturated fats. These nuts also contain phytosterols, which are steroid made by plants that are directly linked to lowering cholesterol. To avoid packing on the pounds remember that only a few of these fatty nuts are needed to benefit your health.

There are so many foods that can attribute to heart health. It only takes subtle changes to your diet to begin to make big differences for you down the line. Remember you are never to old to make these changes in diet.