Lower Cholesterol: Add Oatmeal to Your Diet

High cholesterol levels are a concern for many people. Whether it is high total cholesterol level or high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels which are high, taking action to try to lower cholesterol numbers is important to good health. Research has shown that adding fiber to your diet can help lower cholesterol levels and reduce heart risk. A lower cholesterol level helps keep your arteries clean and healthy. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber which not helps to lower cholesterol levels by removing cholesterol already in the arteries. Consider these three ways of using oatmeal to increase fiber and lower cholesterol levels.

Lower Cholesterol levels by eating more Granola:

Homemade granola is a good choice for increasing fiber. By making it yourself you know exactly what the granola contains and you are not adding preservatives or chemicals to your body while trying to lower your cholesterol. Here is a good granola recipe. You can package it in Ziplocs for snacks, or store in a container for a morning cereal.

Granola

4 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

2 cups almonds, sliced

1-1/2 cups dried cherries chopped

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup honey

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the oats, coconut, almonds, and cherries together in a large bowl. Pour the vegetable oil and honey over the oat mixture. Add the cinnamon, and stir until coated. Pour onto a sheet pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool, stirring occasionally. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.

Lower Cholesterol levels by having Salmon Patties made with oats:

Salmon is an excellent source of omega three and combining this with the soluble fiber of oatmeal is a healthy way to lower your cholesterol. Adding the oatmeal to these patries helps to increase fiber count. Salmon patties can be served as a sandwich or rolled in lettuce leaves

Salmon Patties

Take a large can of salmon and mash the bones up so they are not in large pieces. You can either remove the skin pieces or chop them in finer parts.

Add the following to your salmon:

1/2 c oatmeal

1 egg

dash pepper

small amount of chopped green onions

dash of lemon juice

Form into patties and fry in olive oil or on a no stick skillet till browned.

Lower Cholesterol levels by having Baked Oatmeal for Breakfast

Being able to increase fiber by having a hot oatmeal breakfast may seem more difficult than just a cold cereal but the benefit of obtaining a lower cholesterol level is worth it. You can make baked oatmeal which cooks while you are getting ready for the day.

Baked Fruit Oatmeal

3 cups rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned)

2 cups chopped apples, pears, blueberries, dried cherries, raisins etc

2 cups milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup applesauce

1 large egg - beaten

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

Mix the oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl

In another bowl, mix together milk, egg, applesauce, butter, and brown sugar.

Stir the liquid ingredients into first bowl of dry items, mix well and pour into casserole dish.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Stir the oatmeal, fold in whatever fruit you chose and bake 20 more minutes until top is lightly browned.

Makes 6 servings

Oatmeal's high level of soluble fiber makes it a good choice to add to your quest to reach a lower cholesterol level. If you can regularly increase fiber in your diet, you should see the lower cholesterol level by the time you have your levels checked again.