Sources of Plant Sterols

• The avocado is a natural dietary source of plant sterols. Max Oppenheim/Digital Vision/Getty Images

  Plant sterols are components of plant membranes found naturally in nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables and grains. Sterols have been proven to retard the absorption of dietary cholesterol into the bloodstream, according to Medical News Today. The American Heart Association's Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations (2006) places optimum intake of plant sterols at 2 grams per day. Intake can be achieved eating natural source sterols in food or in products fortified with sterols.

Cereal Sources

• Oat bran is a good cereal source of plant sterols. oat grains image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com

  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

• Vegetables eaten raw are the best way to get the benefit of the sterols contained within. vegetables image by cherie from Fotolia.com

  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

• Sunflower seeds are a good source of plant sterols. sunflower seeds image by waltart from Fotolia.com

  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

• Some milks have been fortified to include plant sterols. Milk, milk and hands image by Mykola Velychko from Fotolia.com

  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.