Cholesterol has gained a very bad reputation since it became a major source of atherosclerosis and increased the risk of myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular events. However, there are two different types of cholesterol, and we only need to lower one of them.
We have what we usually call good cholesterol, clinically known as HDL. It is a blood particle that sweeps excess fat from the blood vessels and gathers them in the liver. Conversely, bad cholesterol, also known as LDL cholesterol, is responsible for the opposite. It spreads fat molecules throughout the organism, and it is responsible for increasing the risk of chronic disease.
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Thus, what foods do you need to eat in order to lower your bad cholesterol and increasing your good cholesterol?
Black beans
They are one of the most reliable sources of a nutrient called soluble fiber. There are two main types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber has the property of binding to water or cholesterol molecules. This way, black beans contribute to sweeping away excess cholesterol from the body, which reduces bad cholesterol levels and maintains the same or may even increase HDL in the process. For each ounce of black beans, you get up to 4.3 grams of dietary fiber, which is a lot.