I wonder how many of you have sampled butter-like spreads such as Benecol or Take Control that are now available in grocery stores? If you have and they have become a regular item on your grocery list, you have taken the first step to include plant sterols in your diet to decrease low-density lipoproteins (LDL), the bad cholesterol.
Plant sterols are also known as phytosterols. Phytosterols occur naturally in plants. They work by trapping cholesterol in your gut, so you get the greatest benefit from consuming them as part of a meal. The typical Western diet contains approximately 200 to 500 mg of plant sterols, mainly from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and vegetable oils. Most of us include some plant sterols in our diet every day, but we are probably not consuming enough to improve cholesterol levels.
Are more plant sterols in your diet necessarily better? You will get the best results lowering cholesterol if you consume plant sterols at a dose of 2 to 3 grams daily. You may also notice a reduction in total cholesterol but probably no effect on HDL (good) cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Higher intake of plant sterols may also impair absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Try adding the following items your daily diet to make sure you're getting plant sterols:
- Wheat germ
- Corn oil
- Canola oil
- Peanuts
- Wheat bran
- Almonds
You can also try adding functional foods such as a plant sterol spread, yogurt, orange juice, or a granola bar.
