Having high cholesterol levels could have potentially fatal consequences. This is because the cholesterol can build up in the blood vessels, leading to blockages.
These blockages can raise your risk of conditions such as heart disease and strokes. Therefore, keeping your cholesterol low is vital, especially if you are already vulnerable to cardiovascular problems.
It is widely known that having a high-fat diet is a common cause of high cholesterol – also called hypercholesterolaemia. In particular, doctors advise eating as little saturated fat as possible to keep cholesterol levels down.
While some foods can raise your cholesterol, others can lower it. One classic British breakfast could actually do the latter. Health bodies have recommended that eating beans on toast could help to lower cholesterol levels. More specifically, this will be a tin of reduced sugar and salt baked beans on top of wholemeal toast.
Experts at Harvard Health explained: “Changing what foods you eat can lower your cholesterol and improve the armada of fats floating through your bloodstream. Adding foods that lower low-density lipoprotein, the harmful cholesterol-carrying particle that contributes to artery-clogging atherosclerosis, is the best way to achieve a low cholesterol diet.
“Different foods lower cholesterol in various ways. Some deliver soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they get into circulation.”
They went on to detail how beans are rich in soluble fibre. “Beans are especially rich in soluble fibre,” they said. “They also take a while for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal.
“That’s one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. With so many choices — from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond — and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.”
Beans on toast are actually part of a Food Standards Scotland (FSS) recommended breakfast.
For the healthiest version of this meal it specifies a 200g tin of reduced sugar and salt baked beans (200g), two thick slices of wholemeal bread (toasted) and “thinly spread” low fat spread.
The FSS said: “Choose wholemeal bread for more fibre. Check the labels to choose the healthiest options which are low in sugar, fat and salt.
“Baked beans count towards your five-a-day; choose reduced salt and sugar options where possible.”
Verywell Health added that wholemeal bread could also help lower cholesterol. “Try switching to wholewheat or wholegrain varieties,” it said. “These types of bread are also high in fibre, which can help lower your cholesterol.
“You might also try low-carbohydrate varieties of bread, but make sure that you check out the fat and fibre content on the food nutrition label before you make your choice.”
To reduce your cholesterol the NHS recommends you try to eat more:
- Oily fish, like mackerel and salmon
- Brown rice, wholegrain bread and wholewheat pasta
- Nuts and seeds
- Fruits and vegetables.
The NHS website also says you should try to eat less:
- Meat pies, sausages and fatty meat
- Butter, lard and ghee
- Cream and hard cheese, like cheddar
- Cakes and biscuits
- Food that contains coconut oil or palm oil.
If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels you should speak to your doctor.