Are Plant Sterols and Stanols on Your Dinner Menu?

You have certainly eaten cholesterol-lowering foods like walnuts, salmon, and oatmeal. But how about plant sterols and stanols? Do you bake them, broil them or eat them raw?

Actually you don’t eat stanols and sterols, but eating foods which contain them is an easy way to lower your LDL cholesterol, which of course helps reduce your risk of heart disease,

Plant sterols and stanols are substances that occur naturally in small amounts in many grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Since they have powerful cholesterol-lowering properties, manufacturers have started adding them to foods. You can now get stanols or sterols in margarine spreads, orange juice, cereals, and even granola bars.

How Do Plant Sterols and Stanols Help Beat High Cholesterol?

Plant stanol esters help block the absorption of cholesterol from the food you eat. As they pass thru your digestive tract they attach to cholesterol keeping it from being absorbed into your bloodstream. Instead of clogging up your arteries, cholesterol is removed naturally with your excretion.

Research shows that three servings a day can reduce cholesterol by about 20 points."Experts have been studying the effects of food fortified with plant sterols for decades. These studies have shown reductions of between 12-14% average over a 30 day period. That's about 20 point for most people.

The FDA gave these products the status of a "health claim" in 2000. This means that experts widely agree on the cholesterol-lowering benefits of stanols and sterols. It also allows manufacturers to advertise the heart-healthy benefits on labels.

Getting Sterols and Stanols into Your Diet

You can find plant sterols or stanols in some cooking oils, salad dressings, milk, yogurt, snack bars, and juices. Indeed, so many fortified products are headed to grocery store shelves that you'll soon have a dizzy array of choices. But check the labels carefully. While plant sterols are healthy, extra calories are not. Excess calories simply lead to excess pounds.

A Caveat from Some Experts

Research aside, some experts say people are better off getting their nutrients from whole foods such as grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes.I certaily agree with this research. That’s why our top selling cholesterol buster, CholesterolCare contains 300 mg of beta-sitosterol. It’s the most effective of all the sterols and stanols.  Its so effective we guarantee you will drop 40 points in 60 days or you get your money back. Read about it here.