Nuts and Cholesterol

Working on getting your cholesterol levels down?
You may be able to get your numbers in check by adding a handful of nuts to your diet.

A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that eating more nuts is associated with lowered cholesterol levels. According to the research, participants consumed an average of 2.4 ounces of nuts a day and reduced their total cholesterol by 5 percent. Their “bad” LDL levels went down an average of 7.4 percent. Triglycerides declined as well, though only in people who had elevated levels (above 150) to begin with.

Because nuts are high in calories and fat, be sure to swap out another high-calorie snack to avoid weight gain.