One Of Your Favorite Green Legumes Is High In A Vitamin That Can Naturally Lower Cholesterol

Although your body needs cholesterol to provide structure to your cells and produce hormones, too much cholesterol can clog your arteries. High cholesterol can lead to heart disease and stroke. Foods rich in saturated fats such as processed meats, snack foods, fast food, and packaged baked goods can send your LDL cholesterol — the bad kind — to unhealthy levels.

Other types of food, like peas, can help lower your cholesterol. You might have pushed away peas as a kid, but you can't ignore the nutritional punch peas provide. Just half a cup of green peas packs more than 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein with just 67 calories. Peas are also a great source of B vitamins such as niacin (vitamin B3), which Registered Dietitian Angel Luk says can lower cholesterol.

"Niacin reduces the production of LDL cholesterol while simultaneously increasing the production of healthy HDL cholesterol," Luk said in a Health Digest interview. "In this way, there's less potential for LDL-related plaque buildup in the arteries, and more circulating HDL to help recirculate LDL in the bloodstream to the liver for removal." However, the niacin alone might not be enough to lower cholesterol.

Most adults need between 14 and 16 milligrams of niacin every day. Although you can get plenty of niacin from foods such as peas, people with elevated cholesterol might be prescribed a much higher dose of niacin. Combining niacin therapy with statins might also help boost your HDL cholesterol. In a 2015 study in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, people who took niacin with their statin medication increased their HDL cholesterol by 39%, compared to the statin-only group whose HDL cholesterol improved by 11%. However, the niacin didn't play a role in improving a specific cholesterol-related pathway that protects the arteries.

This doesn't mean peas can't help lower your cholesterol. Peas are a type of pulse that is particularly effective in lowering cholesterol, thanks to their fiber and phytochemicals. A 2021 systematic review in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition pulled the results of more than 20 studies on the relationship between pulses and metabolic health. Eating 150 grams of pulses a day (about a cup) can not only reduce your cholesterol levels but also your blood pressure, inflammation, and body composition.

Including peas as a side dish is just one way to get more niacin and fiber in your diet. Luk suggests sneaking peas into some of your favorite dishes. "This means that frozen green peas can easily be tossed into a one-pot recipe just before serving for a quick boost of niacin," she said.

You'll have to be careful not to overcook them, especially if you're boiling them. Boiling peas for too long risks losing niacin in the cooking water. "However, if the water is then used for soup, stews, or consumed, the nutrient is still enjoyed," she said.

Eating fiber- and niacin-rich peas is just a small part of a cholesterol-lowering diet. Consider boosting the soluble fiber in your diet to prevent your body from absorbing cholesterol. You should aim for at least 10 to 25 grams of soluble fiber a day from sources like oatmeal, apples, and bananas. Plant sterols and stanols found in nuts and olive oil remove unhealthy cholesterol from your body as waste. Salmon and other foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides as well as your blood pressure. Lowering your cholesterol also means cutting back on salt, alcohol, and saturated fat.