There are 2 types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein / good cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein / bad cholesterol. Increased levels of bad cholesterol cause the blood pressure to spike, and this puts you at higher risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Needless to say, it’s important to keep bad cholesterol levels in check.
You may have heard or read that opting for a diet that’s high in fiber and low in saturated fats can help in lowering your bad cholesterol. The same is true with exercising on a regular basis. Did you know that there are also a few healthy drinks that you may consume on a regular basis to help in reducing your bad cholesterol levels? Here they are:
Pineapple Juice
It’s common knowledge that pineapple juice is loaded with fiber that helps sweep bad cholesterol out of the arteries, thus promoting normal blood pressure and reducing your risk of suffering from heart disease as well as heart attack and stroke. Pineapple juice also contains excellent amounts of vitamin C known to help lower bad cholesterol levels.
Lemon Juice
Another excellent source of bad cholesterol-lowering vitamin C is lemon juice. Vitamin C is actually an antioxidant that helps prevent fat molecules from ending up inside the arteries. What’s more, this antioxidant also promotes healthier blood vessels, making them less susceptible to damage that contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease.
Tart Cherry Juice
Because of the staggering amounts of antioxidants in tart cherry juice, the intake of this beverage on a regular basis may help ward off increased levels of bad cholesterol. Go ahead and guzzle down this super healthy drink in order to keep your bad cholesterol levels in check, and reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Berry Juice
Other than tart cherry juice, you may also opt for any other berry juice of your liking. Again, each one of them is packed with bad cholesterol-lowering antioxidants. When shopping for the berry juice of your preference, always read the packaging. Make sure that it’s 100% natural and free of added sugars for maximum heart-health benefits.
Green Tea
If you love green tea, congratulations! This healthy beverage adored by many all over the planet is an excellent reducer of bad cholesterol levels. Green tea is packed with potent antioxidants called polyphenols. Several studies have shown that polyphenols are very good at flushing cholesterol out of the body before it ends up lodged in your blood vessels.
Ginger Tea
You may be aware that ginger tea is very good for the digestion because of its superb anti-inflammatory properties. The ability of this beverage to suppress inflammation also makes it a wonderful defense against increased blood cholesterol levels by preventing the inflammation of the blood vessels, something that can trigger bad cholesterol accumulation.
Red Wine
Did you know that the regular consumption of red wine is very good at keeping high cholesterol at bay? This alcoholic beverage is said to be capable of increasing good cholesterol levels, and this causes the reduction of bad cholesterol levels. Women may have a serving of red wine daily and men may have up to 2 servings of it daily.
Grape Juice
If you love the idea of having lower cholesterol by means of drinking something healthy but don’t really like the thought of consuming red wine regularly, reach for a glass of grape juice instead. It’s basically just like drinking red wine because both of them come from the same source which contains superb amounts of cholesterol-fighting polyphenols.
These are some of the healthy beverages that you may incorporate in your everyday diet to keep in check the levels of bad cholesterol. Always remember to pair their regular consumption with a healthy diet and regular exercise!
