Get Heart Healthy With Nutrition Tips From Sara Vance!

STUDIO CITY (CBS) — February is American Heart Month.

Nutritionist Sara Vance visited the KCAL9 studios Wednesday to give viewers heart healthy tips to lower cholesterol.

Here are just a few of Sara's healthy tips:

• Soluble fiber sticks to cholesterol binding it and ushering out of the body before it can enter into circulation. Sources include oats/oatmeal, legumes, fruits & vegetables, psyllium, chia seeds.
• Omega-3 fatty acids are important for heart healthy and are shown to lower cholesterol levels. They also affect our brain functioning, mood, eye health and help prevent disease. Sources include fatty fish (salmon, sardines, tuna, herring, etc.), fish oils (Coromega) and chia/flax seeds.
• Antioxidants like Polyphenols and Flavinoids can offer protection against free radical exposure and offer a wide range of health benefits. Polyphenols have been shown to lower cholesterol by increasing the amount of cholesterol exreted by the body and boost levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Sources include dark chocolate, teas, coffee, grapes and other fruit and red wine.
• Plant sterols have been shown in over 140 clinical studies to help reduce LDL cholesterol by competes with and prevents the uptake and absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine. Sources include peanuts, sesame seeds, foods fortified with plant sterols (Corazonas).
• Healthy fats sources include nuts, avocados, olives and grapeseed oil.

For more tips, click here.