Do You Have A Question About Lowering Cholesterol Naturally?

The conditions that attend upon someone with high cholesterol are i) being overweight, ii) leading a sedentary lifestyle, iii) having a smoking habit, iv) consuming excessive alcohol every day and v) consuming a daily diet filled with saturated fats and trans-fats.

A low cholesterol diet filled with natural foods is the best way to manage your cholesterol level. The elements of such a diet are as follows:-

Eating three meals a day with the largest meal being breakfast,

Eating loads of fruit and vegetables,

Giving up fatty foods such as pork, beef, eggs, cheese and butter. Replacing butter with canola oil, olive oil, plant sterol spreads and white wine vinegar.

Leaving out dairy products generally if they are not to a fat content of 0% fat.

Snacking only on fruit, nuts and vegetables

Drinking only in moderation – noting that red wine of quality is the only beneficial alcoholic drink

Increasing your consumption of fatty fish – mackerel, salmon, herring, sardine and albacore tuna,

Increasing the consumption of garlic as this offers protection to the blood vessels,

Increasing your intake of foods rich in antioxidants and nutrients, in particular vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E and selenium,

Increasing your intake of pure water to 4 liters daily as this works in tandem with fibrous foods to flush out toxins and bad cholesterol,

Increasing your intake of unsaturated fats because this prevents cardiovascular disease and some kinds of cancer. These foods include olive oil, almonds, unrefined oils, nuts and soya,

Starting a daily exercise program such as walking, jogging, swimming or biking. This should be at least thirty minutes a day.

It must be stated that the low cholesterol diet does not seek to eliminate cholesterol completely. Cholesterol is a waxy fat produced by the liver and intestines to build and maintain cell membranes. It also is responsible for the production of hormones and the flow of blood to the vital organs of the body. We cannot live without cholesterol because of its essential nature. We also cannot live without consuming some fat as this is responsible for maintaining normal body temperature.

It is also important that a large quantity of good cholesterol is consumed as an inadequate amount leads to the liver overcompensating and producing more of it to sustain membrane and hormone production. This in turn will lead to higher levels of high cholesterol in the bloodstream as if it was consumed. Those persons on a weight loss program should also not starve themselves as this slows down metabolism and signals the body to produce more fat and this too leads to more high cholesterol in the bloodstream.

As with all new health programs, consult with your health professional on these matters.