Reducing Cholesterol

Do you or someone in your family suffer with high cholesterol? To dramatically lower your LDL cholesterol levels without resorting to high doses of statins I recommend these dietary tips:

·         1. Limit your intake of foods full of saturated fats, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol.

Foods with a lot of saturated fat include butter, fatty flesh like red meat, full-fat dairy products and oils. If you see partially hydrogenated fat in the Ingredient list of a food label, that food has trans fats.

·         2. Eat a lot more fiber-rich foods.

Foods naturally rich in soluble fiber have proven particularly good at lowering cholesterol. Excellent sources include oats, oat bran, barley, peas, and sweet potatoes, as well as legumes or beans, such as pinto beans, black beans and peas. Vegetables & fruits rich in soluble fiber include carrots, brussel sprouts, berries, passion fruit, oranges, pears, apricots, nectarines, and apples.

·         3. Choose protein-rich plant foods (such as legumes or beans, nuts, and seeds) over meat.

They’re full of nutritional riches and are a very healthy, protein-packed alternative to meat. Legumes help lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, blood sugar, and insulin levels, and may even lower cancer risk.

Nuts and seeds have been proven to modestly lower LDL cholesterol levels. To avoid blood pressure raising salt, choose raw unsalted varieties. To avoid gaining weight, don’t eat more than a handful per since nuts and seeds are dense with calories (averaging about 175 calories per ounce).

·         4. Lose excess weight.

Losing excess weight is beneficial for all sorts of reasons including improving your cholesterol levels.

Do keep in mind that it’s important to limit fat intake, even so-called “good” fats like olive oil, because any fat is dense with calories, which means heavy consumption can easily lead to a heavy body.

·         5. Take supplements.

I recommend Sterols which are naturally occurring substances found in plants. A daily intake of 1 to 2 grams of plant sterols has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels.

Psyllium husks are also great. These seed grains are sold as a soluble fiber supplement and natural laxative.