Four foods to add to your breakfast to help lower cholesterol – dietician advice

“Breakfast is a perfect opportunity to get a variety of health-promoting nutrients in before you even start your day,” she said.

“But did you know that your choice of breakfast could be either increasing or decreasing your blood pressure and cholesterol, and therefore your risk of one of the UK’s biggest killers, heart disease?”

Oats

She explained: “Oats provide a soluble fibre called beta glucan that, when included as part of a healthy diet, has a cholesterol-lowering effect.

“Beta glucan forms a gel in your gut which binds with cholesterol and stops it from being reabsorbed.

“You need three grams per day to get the cholesterol-lowering effect, which you can get from a few servings of oats or barley each day.

“A 30g bowl of porridge in the morning is a perfect place to start.”

Soya

“Soya foods, such as soya milk, soya yoghurt, tofu and edamame beans have also been found to lower cholesterol levels,” she said.

“To support your heart health, why not use soya milk in your oats, or add some soya yoghurt to your fruits for breakfast.

“You could even try out some scrambled tofu with your cooked breakfast.”

Fruits and veggies

“Breakfast provides a great opportunity to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables,” Ms Martin said.

“Adding more plants to your plate helps to reduce your intake of other foods higher in salt and saturated fat, as well as provide additional soluble fibre and antioxidants.

“You could add berries or banana to your porridge, or pop some tomatoes, spinach, or mushrooms to your cooked breakfast.”