The claims that cereal boxes are making seem to be extremely false. The LA Times state that most cereals claim that it lowers cholesterol, but in reality, it does not affect anything. It takes at least 3 grams of soluble fiber per day to reduce cholesterol. To get that amount from a breakfast cereal, one would generally have to consume 3 cups — that’s three servings — a day. Cheerios only provides 1 gram of fiber, whereas Honey Nut Cheerios provides less than 1 gram of fiber per serving.

Although Cheerios does contain 1 gram of fiber, what else balances out the good with the bad? Sugar. There is also 1 gram of sugar in regular Cheerios. In Honey Nut Cheerios, 9 grams consume the cereal. How healthy does that sound? All of this sugar could lead to other health risks, such as diabetes and weight gain.

A half-cup of oatmeal provides 2 grams of the fiber, an orange provides 1.7 grams, and a serving of black beans provides 2.4 grams. Clearly, one should invest in some other alternatives to lower cholesterol (other than the not so nutritious cereal)!

Adult men need 30 to 38 grams of total fiber per day, while women need 21 to 25 grams, according to the Institute of Medicine. Oatmeal, beans, peas, citrus fruits and strawberries are all good sources of fiber for men and women. In addition to eating more fiber-rich whole grains, fruits and vegetables, consuming foods high in polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids are also extremely beneficial.

If lowering your cholesterol is something that is important, you have to limit dairy, red meat and eggs. These items are loaded with cholesterol and will only hurt you in the long run.

Here are some fun facts about cholesterol:

A review of the evidence on soluble fiber, published in the Journal of Family Practice in 2006, concluded that eating 5 grams to 10 grams of soluble fiber per day was associated with a 10% to 15% reduction in LDL levels — which, the researchers estimated, could lower heart disease risk by 10% to 15%.

Oats were not the most powerful cholesterol-reducers in the studies reviewed; psyllium lowered cholesterol levels about 6% among people who consumed an average of 9 grams for an average of 53 days, and an average of 4.7 grams of pectin consumed for an average of 34 days reduced cholesterol levels roughly 6.5%.

A more recent review, published in the journal Nutrition Reviews last year, looked at both the overall effects of fiber intake and the effects of specific types of soluble fiber on cholesterol levels and heart health. Pooling results from seven large studies that followed a total of 158,000 adults, the researchers found that heart disease prevalence was 29% lower in the group with the highest total dietary fiber intake compared to the lowest. But, of course, this could have been due to the overall healthier lifestyles among those who tend to eat high-fiber diets.

Advertisement