The key to a healthy heart starts in the kitchen

By Venus Gentile

There are many ways to lower your cholesterol. The kind of foods you eat can play a major role in lowering it, along with other heart-healthy habits such as exercise, maintaining a healthy weight and staying away from smoking.

It is important that you integrate these foods into your daily diet and remain consistent with them.

Oatmeal & High Fiber Foods

Oatmeal has to be one of my favorite breakfast foods! Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol. Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream and is also found in such foods as kidney beans, apples, pears, barley and prunes. I prefer the steel-cut oatmeal as it is low-glycemic and contains less carbohydrates than the other varieties. Adding fruit is a also great way to get more nutrients in!