Cholesterol-Reducing Drinks

When it comes to lowering your cholesterol, exercise alone will not make the kind of difference that your doctor wants to see. You need to do a complete diet overhaul, from the food on your plate to the drink you enjoy with your breakfast. A few simple drink ideas that get you started on the path to lower cholesterol.

Green Tea

• Jon Lowet of "Prevention" magazine claims that green tea has properties that lower cholesterol. Polyphenols in green tea help bad cholesterol pass through and exit the body instead of collecting in vital organs. While a few cups of green tea every day can have a positive impact on your cholesterol, a professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy cautions against using pills that contain high concentrations of green tea polyphenols because overexposure could put the health of your liver in danger.

Tomato Juice

• Drinking two glasses of tomato juice every day can help you achieve lower cholesterol in just three weeks, according to a study published in the "British Journal of Nutrition" in April 2007. As the article's lead author Marja-Leena Silaste notes, this is an important finding for the medical community because pills designed to lower cholesterol can be costly and have negative side effects. Prescribing tomato juice instead of expensive statins would be a boon to both patients and insurance companies.

Soy Milk

• A single cup of soy milk can contain up to 10 g of soy protein, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends consuming 25 g of soy protein a day to lower your cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. By sipping a glass of chocolate soy milk, pouring soy milk over your cereal and using soy milk in your creamy pasta sauces, you will be doing wonderful things for your cholesterol.