{"id":692168,"date":"2026-06-08T20:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T20:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/692168\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T20:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T20:00:13","slug":"foods-to-lower-cholesterol-that-a-cardiologist-eats-every-day-nbc-5-dallas-fort-worth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/692168\/","title":{"rendered":"Foods to lower cholesterol that a cardiologist eats every day \u2013 NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth"},"content":{"rendered":"

You can help yourself to lower cholesterol naturally, without medication, by eating the right foods<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cardiologists say a healthy diet is one of the best ways to protect heart health<\/a>, in addition to exercising more, staying a healthy weight<\/a> and quitting smoking.<\/p>\n

So what does a heart doctor eat to keep her cholesterol numbers in check?<\/p>\n

Heart health tip of the day: Eat these 5 fiber-rich foods to lower cholesterol<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a cardiologist, I always tell patients that lowering their LDL \u2018bad\u2019 cholesterol can help prevent cardiovascular disease \u2014 and the\u00a0No. 1 nutrient that can help is fiber<\/a>,\u201d Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a preventive cardiologist in Minneapolis, Minnesota,\u00a0told CNBC.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany foods have soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol (particles) in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they get into circulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

She eats these five fiber-rich foods every day:<\/p>\n

Oats<\/p>\n

Chickpeas<\/p>\n

Arugula<\/p>\n

Almonds<\/p>\n

Avocado<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

Soluble fiber<\/a>\u00a0dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in the gut. This goo binds to cholesterol and its precursors, which helps to prevent the digestive tract from absorbing it, dietitians previously told TODAY.com.<\/p>\n

The trapped cholesterol is excreted in a bowel movement, naturally lowering levels in the body.<\/p>\n

Insoluble fiber doesn\u2019t dissolve in water and helps move food through the digestive system, promoting regular bowel movements.<\/p>\n

Both types of fiber are found in plant foods, including\u00a0fruits<\/a>, vegetables, legumes and whole grains.<\/p>\n

But only 5% of Americans consume the recommended amount of fiber, the\u00a0National Institutes of Health<\/a>\u00a0notes.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

How to get started<\/p>\n

Adults should eat 25-38 grams of fiber per day, so aim to meet that goal with a healthy diet.<\/p>\n

Breakfast may be a particularly\u00a0good time to eat fiber<\/a>, ensuring a healthy start to the day with foods like oatmeal, whole wheat bread and fruit.<\/p>\n

As for Klodas\u2019 favorites, oats are rich in beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber that \u201cactually clings to cholesterol the body and takes out the bad (LDL) cholesterol,\u201d registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo, nutrition editor for TODAY,\u00a0previously explained<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chickpeas are rich in potassium and magnesium, which are important for blood pressure control. They\u2019re among\u00a0beans with the most fiber<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Arugula is Klodas\u2019 favorite high-fiber, low-calorie leafy green because of its peppery flavor. Cardiologists list leafy greens as some of the\u00a0best vegetables for heart health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Almonds are among the\u00a0three nuts with the most fiber<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Avocados are a delicious source of fiber, and they\u2019re high in healthy fats, which are also good for the heart.<\/p>\n

This story first\u00a0appeared on TODAY.com<\/a>. More from TODAY:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You can help yourself to lower cholesterol naturally, without medication, by eating the right foods. Cardiologists say a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":692169,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[65202,97,269],"class_list":["post-692168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-diet-exercise","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/692169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}