Breakfast with oatmeal or a cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios is a simple first step to decreasing cholesterol. It contains 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber.
Barley and other whole grains, like oats and oat bran, can help lessen the risk of heart disease by providing soluble fiber.
Beans are particularly high in soluble fiber. They also take longer to digest, so you feel fuller longer. That's why beans are a good weight-loss food.
These two low-calorie vegetables are high in soluble fiber.
Many studies demonstrate that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is excellent for the heart. Two ounces of nuts each day can reduce LDL by 5%.
Using liquid vegetable oils instead of butter, lard, or shortening while cooking or eating can reduce LDL.
These fruits are high in pectin, a soluble fiber that decreases LDL.
The effect is smaller, according to studies. 25 grams soy protein per day (10 oz tofu or 2 1/2 cups soy milk) can reduce LDL by 5%-6%.
Eating fish twice or three times a week can lower LDL by replacing meat with LDL-lowering saturated fats and providing LDL-lowering omega-3 fats.
Soluble fiber supplements are the least enticing. Soluble fiber is found in Metamucil and other bulk-forming laxatives.