Changing your food habits from binging on fried foods to eating only healthy snacks can better your heart health. A proper diet helps lower cholesterol levels and improves the number of fats in the bloodstream. These food items also aid in maintaining the body’s metabolism. If you have been suffering from high cholesterol and aren’t sure what to include in your diet, here are a few items you can consume easily.

8 Snacks that help lower cholesterol

1. Nuts
Nuts are full of essential nutrients. Eating walnuts, almonds, peanuts, or other nuts regularly helps in lowering the levels of LDL cholesterol, which is harmful to the body. Moreover, these food items make for a good, healthy, and crunchy snack that you can look forward to eating.

2. Oats
Having a bowl of oats with bananas and strawberries is one of the best ways of lowering the bad cholesterol in the body. Oatmeal gives you up to 2 grams of soluble fiber that helps in reducing the levels of LDL.

3. Vegetables
Vegetables are a rich source of fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. It helps in maintaining and lowering high cholesterol levels. Prepping the vegetables weekly or buying pre-cut veggies make snacking a lot easier and tastier. Carrot sticks or cucumber sticks with hummus is a good option for a snack idea. Avoid pre-roasted and tinned options.

4. Popcorn
Popcorn is a good snacking option as it is low in calories if you avoid adding salt and butter. The whole grain of popcorn is rich in fiber, and you can use olive oil in place of butter. This increases HDL cholesterol and lowers LDL cholesterol in the body.

5. Fruits
Fruits are rich in fiber, potassium, and pectin, which aid in maintaining low cholesterol levels. Their natural sweetness satisfies any possible cravings, and you can never have too many fruits. Apples, strawberries, grapes, and citruses are good options for the same.

6. Soy products
Among the snacks to help lower high cholesterol, eating foods made from soybeans like tofu, or soy milk, or soybeans itself is a healthy and tasty option. According to research, consuming 25 grams of soy food items helps in lowering LDL cholesterol.

7. Homemade potato chips
Homemade potato chips are a good option for snacking if you have high cholesterol levels, as it contains potassium and fiber. Potatoes are low in calories and help keep the blood pressure under control. It is the excess salt contained in pre-packaged chips that is a massive problem for cholesterol patients.

8. Bean-veggie soup
Soups are easy, quick, and satisfying snacks that are low in saturated fats. Bean-veggie soup is a tasty and healthy snack idea, as beans are rich in protein and provide soluble fiber that helps in lowering high cholesterol levels.

To be sure of which snacks can help adequately lower high cholesterol, it is best to also consult a nutritionist, along with your doctor. This will give you an idea of what works best for your case and body type.