Eat to Beat High Cholesterol

A diet rich in fruit, vegetables, lean protein and fiber can have huge health benefits.

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Plant One on Me
Diets high in fruits, vegetables and other plants are associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Researchers continue to work to figure out how and why, but they do know that eating plenty of produce means you get plenty of phytochemicals (a fancy word for plant chemicals) like flavonoids and sterols, which can help reduce inflammation and possibly even reduce plaque formation.

• Get plant sterols from fortified products like Smart Balance spread and Minute Maid Heart Wise orange juice. A recent study showed that getting two to 2.5 grams of sterols may lower LDL by 10 to 14 percent.
• Green and black tea, Concord grapes, dark chocolate (no more than 1.65 ounces a week), cranberries and pomegranates are some of the heavy hitters suspected of keeping LDL from turning into plaque.
• Mix it up: Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables (think nine servings a day) is the best way to stay healthy.

—by Jill Provost