How much your cholesterol can be reduced if you eat certain chopped vegetables every day.
A simple action we can all take before we start cooking can lower our blood cholesterol and thereby our risk of developing heart disease, a leading British expert says.
This action is to chop certain vegetables before eating. Later on 5-10 minutes “let them rest”instead of immediately adding them to the pot.
In this way, the levels of cholesterol-lowering substances are stimulated, he says Dr. Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London (KCL) and an expert in nutrition and the gut microbiome.
«I often talk about the importance of eating a variety of vegetables every day for our gut health” he says. “But there are some ways to make them even healthier“.
One of the techniques he uses is “cut and stop”. “When cooking onions, garlic and cruciferous vegetables (eg cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), chop them about 10 minutes before eating”, – recommends. “This releases myrosinase and activates sulforaphane, which is inactivated by cooking”.
This compound can effectively lower cholesterol and improve blood sugar levels. It is also associated with reducing inflammation.
Sulforaphane and myrosinase
Broccoli, cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables are the best dietary sources of sulforaphane. This substance provides many cardiometabolic benefits and has anti-cancer effects.
However, it exists in an inactivated form in special vegetables, called glucoraphanin. This is converted to sulforaphane when activated myrosinase – an enzyme found in onions and garlic.
However, to release the myrosinase and activate the sulforaphane, vegetables must be finely chopped.
Studies show that eating plenty of vegetables high in sulforaphane, can lower bad cholesterol (LDL). Within 12 weeks, the reduction can be more than 2%.
LDL is a form of cholesterol that builds up on the inner walls of arteries and causes them to narrow over time.
To preserve as much sulforaphane as possible, cook lightly for a few minutescruciferous vegetables, onions and garlic.