Dubbed the “silent killer”, high cholesterol can hike your risk of serious health problems, ranging from heart disease to strokes.
Food can be a double-edged sword in this process, either boosting your levels of the fatty substance, or keeping them in check.
Interestingly, various research papers keep backing nuts as a great addition to a heart-healthy and cholesterol-lowering diet.
However, if nuts in their crunchy form don’t sound like your thing, you could also opt for nut butters.
The popular spreads contain concentrated amounts of nuts, making them equally beneficial, according to Mays Al-Ali, a nutritionist from Healthy Mays.
Al-Ali said: “Nuts are devoid of cholesterol, but their fat fraction contains chemically related non-cholesterol sterols, known as plant sterols or phytosterols.
“These compounds are non-nutritive plant components that play a structural role in their cell membranes just as cholesterol does in animal cell membranes.
“Phytosterols interfere with cholesterol absorption, thus helping lower blood cholesterol concentration.”
Another reason why nuts can benefit your cholesterol levels comes down to their content of unsaturated fat, specifically, monounsaturated fatty acids.
Unlike their saturated counterparts, unsaturated fats can help improve blood cholesterol levels.
While nut butters can seem like more of a treat than healthy food, opting for ones without added sugars and fats offers great benefits.
The expert recommended going organic, with almond butter, walnut butter, and hazelnut butter being some of the healthiest on the market.
When it comes to the amount of the spread you should aim for, Al-Ali recommended roughly two tablespoons, which is the equivalent of 30 grams of nuts.
“You do have to manage portion control more with nut butter as they are highly concentrated,” the expert added.
Source: | This article first appeared on Express.co.uk
