Between 2017 and 2020, 10% of American adults over age 20 had total cholesterol that exceeded 240 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Nearly 17% of those people had high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol levels below 40 mg/dL. About half of the adults in the U.S. could benefit from lowering cholesterol levels. Additionally, 86 million adults over the age of 20 have total cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dL.

It’s a sad reality when the statistic is that most adults in the U.S. have blood cholesterol levels higher than they should be. Health experts explain that there are many steps that can aid cholesterol-lowering efforts. In fact, it may be as simple as making some dietary changes and exercising on a regular basis. 

Which Foods Can Lower Cholesterol?

There are various foods that can help keep your LDL cholesterol levels in check. Some of those same foods can help elevate HDL cholesterol levels, which are beneficial to your heart. The following foods that may benefit cholesterol levels in various ways are:

• Nuts
• Apples
• Grapes
• Fatty fish
• Eggplant
• Okra
• Oats
• Barley (and other whole grains)
• Strawberries

Not all foods that are high in cholesterol are necessarily bad for your health. For example, eggs are relatively high in cholesterol, but they don’t raise them as much as saturated fats or ultra-processed foods. 

What Foods Cause High Cholesterol?

If foods are rich in saturated fats or trans fats, you should steer clear of them because they can elevate cholesterol levels and cause weight gain. What are the absolute worst foods to eat if you have high cholesterol, though? Baked goods, red meat, fried foods, and others are notorious for raising LDL cholesterol. Avoid the following foods to help keep cholesterol levels in check. 

Processed Meats

Hot dogs, deli meat, bacon, sausage, and more all fall under the umbrella of processed meats. They tend to be high in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Bacon or sausage made with turkey might seem healthier, and even though they are somewhat lower in cholesterol than red meat alternatives, they are not cholesterol-free. 

Baked Goods

Cookies, pies, and cakes, oh my! Yes, all of these things are highly addictive and easy to eat, but they usually contain large quantities of butter or shortening, making them high in cholesterol. You don’t have to give up your sweets altogether, because you can still bake with different substitutions. You can use applesauce or bananas in place of butter, or have low-fat Greek yogurt topped with berries for dessert.

Red Meat

Lamb, beef, and pork generally contain a lot of saturated fat, especially the fattier cuts. Hamburgers, ribs, pork chops, shanks, and roasts tend to have more fat than leaner cuts of meat. You can eat meat on occasion, so long as you opt for smaller portions of leaner cuts, such as sirloin, filet mignon, or pork loin. Alternatively, replace meat with proteins that are much lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, such as turkey breast, wild caught fish, beans, lentils, quinoa, and boneless skinless chicken breast.

Fried Foods

Any food that takes a dip in the deep fryer is not going to be great for your body. Common fried foods include mozzarella sticks, onion rings, French fries, chicken wings, or fried chicken. Frying increases the energy density (calorie count) of foods. If you enjoy the crispiness of fried food, use an air fryer and toss your food in a little olive or avocado oil. Alternatively, you can bake foods at higher temperatures to achieve that crispy, golden-brown crunch.

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Can we safely call this the “Superhero Sipper” smoothie? Well, the great thing is that we don’t need to ask for permission to praise the healthy powers that fruits and vegetables offer! This green smoothie is a refreshing blend of cucumber, apple, kale, ginger, mint, and lime, and it will save the day…and potentially your health. This incredible combination of ingredients contains some impressive health benefits that will make you feel like a superhero.

A Little About The Ingredients

• Persian cucumber: These cucumbers are crunchy and crisp, providing lots of water to help you replenish bodily fluids. It also contains vitamin C, which works to enhance the health of your skin.
• Kale: The mighty, powerful super green goddess of the smoothie world. Kale is naturally rich in iron, protein, vitamin K, folate, magnesium, and other antioxidants that help contribute to glowing skin and better immune function. Just make sure that you discard the thicker stems, otherwise your smoothie will have a bitter taste.
• Apple: For a slightly tart yet sweet flavor, we recommend that you choose a Granny Smith apple, but you can opt for the apple of your choice, especially if you have one on hand already. Apples provide lots of fiber, which helps to keep the digestive system functioning smoothly. It also helps you stay full between meals.
• Ginger: Offering a spicy kick that’ll get your heart pumping and your metabolism fired up, ginger makes for a wonderful addition to this smoothie. Exhibiting anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties, ginger may help reduce inflammation and pain in the body.
• Lime: This is the zesty zinger that adds a burst of citrus to this smoothie. Believe it or not, fresh lime juice helps promote alkalinity within the body, despite containing citric acid. Lime juice is rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants that may help fight off colds and infections.

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With summer just around the corner, there has never been a better time to get healthier. Plus, the warmer weather calls for more refreshing recipes, and this green smoothie fits the bill. You can slurp up this low-calorie, nutrient-dense smoothie in no time! And do you want to know the best part? It can help you stay hydrated and may even help you slim down.

Pineapples offer a sweetly tart tropical flavor and make for a great summertime snack. They are naturally rich in bromelain, an enzyme that works to boost metabolism. When your metabolic rate is higher, the body can burn more calories at a quicker rate. Bromelain also works to aid digestion, helping your body absorb nutrients from the foods you eat more efficiently. Pineapples are also rich in fiber, which helps you feel fuller for longer. That means that you’ll be less likely to eat excess calories.

Much like spinach and pineapple, grapefruit is also a weight loss-friendly food. Grapefruit also contains fiber, offering two grams per half a grapefruit, which is the amount this recipe calls for. Grapefruit also contains a lot of water and very few calories, two characteristics known to help with weight loss. One study found that people experienced a reduction in waist size when they consumed grapefruit daily with their meals. That said, study authors didn’t notice significant differences in waist sized reduction between participants who ate grapefruit and those who drank water. More research is necessary but the initial research is promising.

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With spring in full swing, you need recipes that make you feel lighter. Like we always say, it’s never too early to start getting your body ready for summer. Before you know it, summer will be over and those 15 pounds you wanted to lose haven’t gone anywhere. Get started on your summer health journey while it’s still spring! There is no better way to do that than with this kale, apple, and pomegranate salad.

Kale is somewhat bitter and offers a slightly peppery flavor, making it a great salad green to pair with tangy, sweet, and even zesty ingredients. In this recipe, you get to enjoy an assortment of flavors and textures. Offering creamy avocado, crunchy pecans, crisp apples, and pomegranate arils that burst with tartness, this salad is unbeatable. The key is to thinly slice the kale, which makes for a more enjoyable eating experience. It also helps to take some of that bitter intensity away. A pro tip: you can use larger pieces of kale and massage them with a little olive oil and lemon juice to break down the fibers and intensify the flavors.

Do you want to know the best part of this salad? If you don’t have all of the ingredients, you can customize it and use the ingredients you do have. Don’t have raw pecans? Swap them out for raw walnuts or almonds. Thought you had an apple, when you really have a pear? Use the pear instead! You can even swap the pomegranate arils for little mandarin segments. Be creative and follow your taste buds, but make sure those substitutions are raw vegan if you are cleansing!

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According to a 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 90% of Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. To avoid being a statistic, you buy fruits and vegetables and plan to eat them, but something happens: they go bad before you get the chance to use them. You throw out your produce and don’t even bother to compost because it’s too upsetting to throw money down the drain. 

One report found that about 25% of American families throw away one quarter of the food and beverages they buy. Fruits and vegetables comprise 22% of that, while processed produce (canned fruits and vegetables) contribute another 8% of waste to landfills. We don’t say all this to make you feel guilty; rather, we want to help you make the right changes to keep your produce fresh for longer. 

The primary reason people throw their produce away is because they lack the proper storage knowledge. If you do not store your fruits and vegetables properly, they can spoil easily. Do those greenish-yellow bananas you buy turn brown quickly? Do your herbs turn slimy and brown? What about those cucumbers or apples? If you want to stop throwing your fruits and vegetables away, learn from the following tips. 

Limp, Slimy Lettuce

Big heads of lettuce in the grocery store inspire large bowls of salad and optimal health, as they should. The problem is that storing your lettuce improperly can cause those crispy leaves to become soggy, slimy, and limp. Moisture in the fridge causes most fruits and vegetables to lose their crisp texture and go bad. One way to counteract this is to line your fridge’s vegetable drawer with paper towels or terry-cloth towels. In doing so, the towels absorb excess moisture and keep produce, like your lettuce, crispier for a lot longer. The same rule applies for those bagged salads or tubs of greens!

Sprouting Potatoes

If you are tempted to buy the 10-pound bag of potatoes to save some money, make sure that you store them properly if you aren’t going to use them right away. Potatoes start to sprout more quickly if you keep a large bag on hand. To keep your spuds from sprouting, store them in a cool, dry place with as little moisture and sunlight as possible. Some people have had great success keeping potatoes fresh by throwing an apple in with the potatoes, but some experts warn against this. The reason not to do that is because apples emit ethylene, which can encourage sprouting. 

Mushy, Brown Bananas 

Like apples, bananas emit ethylene gas to ripen themselves. Some people swear that wrapping the top of a banana bunch with plastic wrap delays the ripening process, but that doesn’t solve the issue. Ethylene is produced throughout the banana, not just the stem. The best way to store bananas is to hang them on a hook, so that they get plenty of air circulation. Additionally, don’t store them near apples because the ethylene from apples will cause bananas to ripen more quickly. 

Slimy Mushrooms

Mushrooms are great vegetables that can make their way into myriad dishes, unless they become slimy and unappetizing. To avoid a slimy, mushy mess, make sure that you do not store mushrooms in plastic bags. Plastic traps moisture, which causes mildew and mushy mushrooms. Keep mushrooms in a paper bag so that they can breathe and moisture can escape. If you don’t have paper bags, keep mushrooms fresh by keeping them in their original packaging, but poke holes in the plastic to allow ventilation.

Rubbery Celery

Celery can become tasteless if you allow it to go from crispy to rubbery. You can, however, lengthen its time in the fridge if you store it properly. Experts encourage you to separate, wash, and dry the stalks before wrapping them in aluminum foil. That keeps most of the air and moisture in, while still allowing the ethylene gas to escape. If you store celery in a plastic bag, the moisture stays in the bag, which can accelerate the ripening process and turn your celery rubbery. 

Moldy Berries

Berries can be quite pricey, especially if they are not in season. To ensure that you don’t waste your berry money, protect them by giving them a bath in water for 10 seconds. What about soaking them in a vinegar bath? Well, that can leave a vinegar residue and cause your berries to taste unappetizing. Hot water can inhibit mold growth, according to research. The last step is to make sure that your berries are completely dry before storing them in the fridge. The hot water bath and proper drying before fridge storage can help extend their ripeness.

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Indulge in the vibrant flavors of nature with this delightful carrot apple mango smoothie. Packed with wholesome goodness and sweetness, it’s the perfect blend to kickstart your day or enjoy as a refreshing pick-me-up anytime!

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As spring approaches, it’s time to welcome bright and refreshing flavors. The warmer weather makes you want flavors that represent the warmth. That usually means more tropical fruits and less hearty ingredients. For this reason, we concocted a smoothie that contains apples, mangos, carrots, and chia seeds. To avoid having a completely fruit-forward smoothie, we added the carrot, which provides extra vitamin A and carotenoids.

Even though this smoothie contains chia seeds, it doesn’t turn into chia pudding, primarily because it doesn’t have the proper chia seed to liquid ratio. Plus, even if the ratio was exact, the mixture would need time to set. You will drink this smoothie right away, so you don’t have to worry about taking a spoon to this smoothie. This smoothie is on the thicker side, though, but you can always add a little more homemade almond milk if you want a smoothie that isn’t as thick.

The key to this smoothie is to cube the mango ahead of time and freeze the cubes overnight. The frozen mango chunks will provide that creaminess that would otherwise come from a banana, which this smoothie does not have. The homemade almond milk also makes this smoothie a bit creamier, almost giving it a creamsicle- or milkshake-like texture. Let us know if it brightens your day and delights your taste buds by dropping a comment below.

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Is there a better way to welcome in the new year than to supply the body with nutrient-dense foods? If you partied hard on New Year’s Eve, chances are that you need to reset the body. Although the beginning of the year marks a fresh start for the majority of people, there is never a wrong time to begin anew. Any day of any month is a chance to start living a healthier life. This recipe just happens to coincide with the beginning of a new year.

One of the best foods to promote detoxification is the mighty beetroot. You just can’t beat beets! Fresh beets, not the ones from the can, help to increase energy levels, boost immune function, and regulate the body’s natural metabolic process. Studies show that beets contain betacyanin, which is an antioxidant that exhibits anti-carcinogenic properties that are particularly effective against colon cancer. Beets are also a great liver cleanser, with some researchers arguing that there is no better friend to your liver than beetroot.

Although beets have an impressive nutritional profile, we don’t want to neglect the other ingredients in this smoothie. Apples are great sources of fiber and provide the body with vitamin C and potassium. Oranges also give your body a healthy dose of vitamin C, while carrots provide beta-carotene, vitamin K1, biotin, and vitamin B6. Needless to say, this smoothie isn’t lacking in nutrients and will propel you toward your healthy resolutions.

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Class is in session, folks, and today’s agenda covers the ABCs. We are, of course, referring to the ABCs of great-tasting fruits and vegetables: apples, bananas, and carrots, the holy trinity of this smoothie recipe. Something magical happens when you blend the three of those ingredients together! We also have the addition of desiccated coconut and homemade almond milk, making this a smoothie rich in healthy fats, protein, and fiber. In fact, it is a great smoothie to enjoy before or after a workout.

This combination of apples, bananas, and carrots is far from a new fruit and vegetable combo. All of these ingredients actually provide sweet flavor profiles, but you can increase the level of tartness by selecting certain apple varieties. Because fall is apple season, you can choose from many difference apples. We like Honeycrisp or Gala apples because you get the best of both sweet and slightly tang worlds. Plus, those apples are very juicy and complement the bananas and carrots quite nicely.

Should you want to make this more of a post-workout smoothie, feel free to add a scoop of Dherbs Vegan Protein Powder mix, but that is not required at all. All of the flavor will come from the apple, bananas, and carrots, but you get a subtle nuttiness from the desiccated coconut. Lastly, the homemade almond milk ties everything together once blended. It truly makes for a creamy smoothie, which is exactly the texture you want!

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Is it too early to be talking about the holidays? Just visit any store, supermarket, or mall and you will see that holiday decorations are aplenty. The earworm holiday songs that play on loop can be a lot, but holidays aren’t all about shopping malls. One thing we love about the holidays is all the unique produce! From cranberries and apples to pomegranates and winter squash, there is not shortage of fresh, seasonal produce during this time of year.

This gorgeous holiday salad features crunchy pecans, juicy pomegranate seeds, crisp apple slices, and curly kale. To top it off, drizzle all of those ingredients with a sweet and tangy apple cider vinaigrette. You can enjoy this salad as an entree, serve it as a Thanksgiving side dish, or include it as part of your weeknight dinner. Because most meals during the fall and winter tend to be heavier, this salad provides a light and decadent relief. Fit it in somewhere between the roasted or mashed potatoes, stuffing, and the 12 dessert varieties.

Featuring Honeycrisp apples, which are both crispy and juicy, this salad is absolutely to die for. Because it includes a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll get a ton of antioxidant compounds. On top of the captivating colors, this salad offers contrasting textures and sweet, salty, and tangy flavors. We hope you love it as much as we do and that it brings a little lightness to your holiday season.

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