Natural Sources of Plant Sterols

Vegetables and Fruits

• Cleveland Clinic says all vegetables contain some plant sterols, as do fruits. Vegetables contain between five to 40 mgs of sterols and fruit contains slightly less. The fruits and vegetables that contain higher amounts of sterols include broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, dill, apples, avocados, tomatoes and blueberries. One way to increase the amount of sterols is by drying the produce. However, you would need to eat 50 lb. of fruit or vegetables a day to get the amount of sterols necessary to receive the optimum health benefits of this substance.

Whole Grains

• Whole grains are high in plant sterols. Powering Muscles suggests adding grains to your daily intake as a way to increase sterol consumption. Some grains that have high amounts of this substance are rice bran, wheat germ, oat bran, whole wheat and brown rice.

Legumes

• Consuming legumes is another way to increase your intake of plant sterols. Legumes that are especially high in sterols include dried peas, dried beans and lentils. Powering Muscles says soybeans is another example of a legume loaded with sterols and other nutrients including protein and vitamins.

Nuts and Seeds

• Powering Muscles reports nuts and seeds are also good sources of plant sterols. Some nuts that contain sterols include almonds, walnuts and pecans. One of the best natural sources of sterols are peanuts. Seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame also contain plant sterols. It is important to note that in order to get the maximum health benefit of these natural sources of plant sterols, you would also need to consume a lot of calories and fat. Therefore, even if you eat a diet high in plant sterols, you may choose to supplement or buy food that has added plant sterols.