Eat This Type Of Protein To Naturally Lower High Cholesterol

High cholesterol affects about 71 million people in the United States and can lead to a heart attack, heart disease, and stroke if it's unmanaged (per Johns Hopkins Medicine). The cholesterol you need to be most concerned about is your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol because that's what causes plaque to clog your arteries. While statins and a new class of drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors can significantly lower your LDL cholesterol, some people can manage their cholesterol through lifestyle changes such as diet.

One of the ways to lower your cholesterol without medication is to add more beans to your daily menus. Unlike most animal protein, beans have less than a gram of fat and pack a ton of fiber. In an exclusive interview with Health Digest, Kara Lydon, RD, LDN, owner of Kara Lydon Nutrition and The Foodie Dietitian Blog, says the high amount of soluble fiber in beans helps to lower your cholesterol. "In the body, soluble fiber binds with cholesterol, preventing it from being absorbed into the bloodstream," she said.

Lydon said that all beans have fiber, but red kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, and navy beans have the most. A cup of these types of beans has about 220 calories and at least 13 grams of fiber. Most people need 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories in the diet. Beans are also loaded with more than 600 milligrams of potassium and little sodium (if you cook them yourself) to lower your blood pressure. As a great protein source, beans are also loaded with B vitamins and minerals such as iron, magnesium, and zinc.

You can lower your cholesterol in four weeks by adding beans to your diet every day. In a 2021 study in The Journal of Nutrition, people with high LDL cholesterol ate either a cup of white rice or a cup of canned beans every day for four weeks, then switched to the other food for another four weeks. When they ate the beans, their total cholesterol levels dropped by more than 5% and their LDL cholesterol levels dropped by 8%.

According to a 2023 article in Nutrients, swapping out at least 6 ounces of your typical protein source for at least 1.5 cups of beans every week can add more soluble fiber while lowering your dietary cholesterol by 10%. Note that the American Heart Association said dietary cholesterol doesn't necessarily translate to blood cholesterol. However, because most foods that are high in cholesterol are also high in saturated fat (aside from eggs and shellfish), it's better to add more plant-based foods like beans to lower your cholesterol and keep your heart healthy.

"Legumes are pretty versatile which means it's easy to fit them in throughout your week," Lydon said. "Try adding beans to soups, salads, grain bowls, and tacos. Pair a scoop of hummus with your favorite veggies and crackers as a snack or throw some hummus on top of a salad or spread it onto a sandwich." If you like sweets, you can substitute black beans for some of the flour to make high-fiber black bean brownies. You also can't forget that fabulous edible chocolate cookie dough made from chickpeas.