CHOLESTEROL DIET SECRETS

Almonds for Lower Cholesterol

Almonds are the most nutritious nut. Many of almond’s health benefits have been documented. Let’s take a look at one of the benefits that is close to the heart of our readers – a benefit related to cholesterol.

One of the greatest myths surrounding nuts is that people are worried that eating nuts would make them put on weight because of the fat content in the nut while others are worried about cholesterol.

While it is true that nuts do contain fat, but the fact is that not all fats are bad. In the case of almonds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), over ninety percent of almond fat is actually unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat is greatly beneficial to our body because it helps to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and at the same time increase HDL (good) cholesterol. And since almond is a plant-based product, it is cholesterol-free.

Besides the good unsaturated fat, the flesh of almond contains a significant amount of vitamin E. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that prevents cholesterol in our blood stream from being oxidized (oxidized cholesterol may dangerously clog up arteries, causing heart attack and strokes). As for the brown skin, it contains plenty of antioxidants as well, such as catechins and naringenin (these are the same powerful antioxidants found in green tea and grapefruit respectively).

In a nutshell, it is advisable to consume whole almonds with the brown skin for maximum nutritional benefits. Whole almond tends to be fresher and taste better too because the skin serves to protect the almond fat from breaking down.

Almonds can be added to cereal, salads or stir-fried with other vegetables. So the next time you have a craving for chips, why not munch on some almonds instead? It’s much healthier!

To your health,

(Courtesy of Cholesterol Diet Secrets)