There are certainly many different foods that can actually lower the levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol in your blood stream. One of the most recognized foods is oat bran muffins which have been acknowledged by research over the years as being one of the better foods to lower levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Studies that were released in the early 1990’s demonstrated the value of oat bran muffins and their ability to reduce the levels of cholesterol in the blood. However, oat bran muffins are not perfect and must be consumed in moderation in order to enjoy their full effect.
How Oat Bran Muffins Work
Traditional muffins are generally high in fat content which actually contributes to raising the levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood. This is because muffins use animal products in their creation which has the high amount of saturated fats. When these saturated fats enter the intestines, the body produces bile to digest the fats which also contains the LDL cholesterol. That is why foods high in saturated fats are discouraged from a healthy diet.
When properly made, oat bran muffins use a reduced amount of animal products and combine healthier ingredients to reduce the chances of the body generating the bad cholesterol. When eaten with other healthy foods such as oatmeal, the result is that your “bad” cholesterol numbers go down because of the healthier ingredients present.
How to Prepare Oat Bran Muffins
Since traditional muffins use butter and eggs, you will need to substitute them with choices that do not have nearly as much natural saturated fats and cholesterol. You can use applesauce instead of butter for example on a 1 to 1 basis while using only the egg whites and leaving out the egg yolk. You can then adjust the overall amount that you want to use in both to best suit your tastes.
By making these changes, the oat bran muffins become much healthier and eliminate the saturated fats and potential for bad cholesterol to be built up in the blood stream. Plus, you should not add butter to the oat bran muffins once they are prepared. Otherwise, you are just adding back the saturated fats and bad cholesterol that you just eliminated.
Even without the animal products, muffins still contain quite a few calories so they should be eaten in moderation. A small oat bran muffin in the morning along with a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, fruits and orange juice will certainly provide the energy needed for the day without adding too many calories. Oat bran muffins that are purchased in the store need to have their ingredients examined, especially the number of calories they have so that people can make the best choice when including them in their diet.
Overall, oat bran muffins when made correctly without animal products are a healthy, cholesterol lowering food that can be a part of the daily diet when consumed in moderation. Augmenting oat bran muffins with fruits, oatmeal and other heart healthy foods can help accentuate their effect.