Here’s how to prevent stroke by lowering your ‘bad’ DL cholesterol: warm up a steaming bowl of porridge or oats! A study, published in 2019 in Scientific Reports, shows that eating porridge lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease such as stroke. Participants who consumed oats had lower levels of LDL and triglycerides, a lower ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol, and lower levels of inflammatory markers. If you have multiple risks for cardiovascular disease, aim to get your LDL cholesterol lower than 100 mg/dl. And try to get 20 grams of soluble fibre a day to get your cholesterol in check. Start your day right with a 3/4-cup serving of porridge, but skip the instant and instead choose steel-cut oats which packs in almost 30 per cent of your daily recommended soluble fibre.