# Sources of Plant Sterols
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Cereal Sources
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Oat bran is a good cereal source of plant sterols. All whole grains have small amounts of naturally occurring plant sterols. Cereals that contain the highest amounts include whole wheat, wheat germ, brown rice, rice bran and oat bran.
Legumes, Fruits and Vegetables
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Vegetables eaten raw are the best way to get the benefit of the sterols contained within. Dried peas, beans and lentils are a good source of sterols. Drying increases the sterol content by removing water from the vegetables. Cooking, refining and milling all remove some sterols while foods left raw retain sterol content. All fruits and vegetables contain from 5 to 45 milligrams of plant sterols. One small avocado provides 0.13 grams of plant sterols.
Nuts and Seeds
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Sunflower seeds are a good source of plant sterols. One of the best sources of natural sterols is peanuts. Other good sources include almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. One quarter cup of sunflower seeds, for example, contains 0.19 grams of plant sterols.
Fortified Food Products
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Some milks have been fortified to include plant sterols. Many food products that do not have naturally occurring plant sterols have been fortified to earn the American Heart association's "heart healthy" designation. Some of these include orange juice, milk and vegetable oil spreads. One cup of sterol fortified milk contains 0.40 grams, 1 cup of orange juice contains 1.0 grams and 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil spread contains 1.0 grams.
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