How To Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally

So you've heard all the warnings about cholesterol, but really what is all the fuss about?

What is cholesterol and why should I even care about it?

You can't see it, so is it really going to hurt me?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found among other fats in the arteries. Although cholesterol plays an important role in the building of cell membranes and other tissues, a high cholesterol level is widely considered one of the major factors in the development of heart disease.

When you have too much bad cholesterol in your body, it collects on the walls of your arteries and could cause clotting, which might lead to a stroke.

Most experts recommend you maintain a cholesterol level below 200 mg/dL, which can usually be accomplished without the use of drugs through a diet consisting of high fiber, low-cholesterol foods.

In order to combat cholesterol and its harmful effects, many experts recommend we eat at least 4 servings of fruit or vegetables each day, and 5 is even better.

These foods are low in cholesterol and high in fiber. One simple way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables is to include them in snacks, salads, side dishes and deserts.

You may have seen several drinks in your grocery store that give you a few servings worth of fruits and vegetables for each glass you drink. Although these are wonderful choices over soda, it's best to eat the whole fruit and vegetables instead of drinking them.

You can add a wide variety of vegetables to most meat dishes, or occasionally plan completely vegetarian meals.

So the solution is simple. However, most people don't heed the warnings about high cholesterol levels and think that cholesterol is not an issue for them until they have their first heart attack or stroke.

The time to lower your cholesterol levels is before you have a major health crisis.

Eat 100% whole grain Breads, brown rice, high fiber cereals, beans, peas and 100% whole grain pasta are high soluble fiber while low in saturated fat and calories. Choose products that are labeled "100% Whole Grain" or "100% Whole Wheat" not just "whole grain". Those that are labeled whole grain, may have only a smidgen of whole grain in it. There is a huge difference between the two.

These are food containing no dietary cholesterol at all (except some breads).

Experts recommend that you have 6-11 servings from this food group each day.

Keep in mind, if you choose whole grain breads over white breads with enriched flour, you will receive a higher fiber content. Of course when we're talking about including cereals in your diet, we're not talking about the latest sugar-loaded children's cereal.

Dining out can be a real challenge when you're looking to lower your cholesterol intake.

Do yourself a favor and choose restaurants offering low-cholesterol, low-fat meals you will enjoy.

Ask the server how the food you want is prepared, and avoid fried, crispy, basted, braised, au gratin, stewed, pan-fried, sautéed; each of these cooking methods introduce high amounts of fat into your diet.

Always choose steamed, broiled, poached, grilled, baked and roasted dishes.

If you find yourself in line at the local fast-food joint, steer clear of burgers with cheese, special sauce or bacon.

Another helpful hint: make lists.
Prepare a list of low cholesterol foods and take it with you when you go shopping so you'll know which foods to put in your basket.

Also look for products that say "Heart Healthy" as these are low in cholesterol and fat.

Lower Your Cholesterol Levels

* Soluble fiber soaks up cholesterol like sponge and dispels it out of the body. Increasing the fiber intake will lower your cholesterol levels as well as may prevent the development of colon related problems. Think oatmeal and 100% whole grain breads & pasta.

* Take steps toward a more active lifestyle.
Daily exercise has proven to lower cholesterol levels. Anything that gets you off your rear end is considered "activity", and if you enjoy it you're more likely to continue with it. During commercials do some in place brisk walking or stepping.

* A few changes in the way you prepare food can lower their cholesterol content. Cook with mono-unsaturated fats like canola, peanut and olive oil. Bake, broil, roast or grill meat instead of frying.

* Reduce your intake of processed foods and saturated fats (organ meats, egg yolks, whole milk and dairy products). Opt for low-fat or non-fat dairy products and cut down on sugar, salt and alcohol.

* As much as possible, avoid fast food restaurants. Most of their menu items contain high sodium and fat content. Many fast food restaurants now have nutrition menus, before ordering ask for one and make an informed choice.

Lowering your cholesterol level is a long journey.
It usually takes 4-6 months to see any significant changes in your cholesterol levels. But if you take a few small steps each day, in 6 months you will be much farther down the path than if you had done nothing at all.

How To Lower Your Cholesterol Levels Naturally

So you have high cholesterol and need to lower it?

That is no surprise considering how many people have high cholesterol these days. To help lower your cholesterol, here are 10 tips you can get started with today.

As with anything health related, diet and exercise are the two crucial components. What you eat is critical to lowering your cholesterol levels, so that is what is included here.

One thing you should know is the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol. Simply think of HDL as "healthy" and LDL as "lousy."

HDL can actually help carry cholesterol out of your blood vessels while LDL allows it to deposit inside your artery walls.

The good news is that you can change your cholesterol for the better. Here is how to do just that:

1. Have a nice sandwich on whole wheat bread or a pita with some lean turkey and lots of fresh veggies. Skip the hot dogs, bologna, and salami, and hold the Mayo. All of those are highly processed and filled with fat and cholesterol.

2. Fish, like salmon, is good. Look for wild red salmon varieties, which are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids (good fat). Also, flax seed is a good source of Omega-3s.

3. Avoid Trans fats! Not only do they raise the lousy LDL cholesterol, they can also lower your HDL levels! Stay away from foods like margarine, shortening, and processed foods containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

4. Go ahead, go nuts! Look for walnuts mainly but also try almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, and pecans. Nuts are high in fat, but it's the good kind. (Also, use natural peanut butter instead of the normal kind which contains unhealthy Trans fats.)

5. Limit desserts and try to eat only the healthier ones like angel food cake, graham crackers, Jell-O, and fat-free frozen yogurt.

Part 2 is Below

Here are tips 6-10, to help you start lowering your cholesterol.

6. Eat foods that are high in fiber. Examples include whole wheat bread (the product should be labeled 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat), plain oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and some cereals. (Look for the boxes that say "may help lower cholesterol.")

7. Use the grill. If you're going to have steak or burgers, grill them at home and use lean meat. This practice avoids the grease, is fun, and the meat tastes great. Also try grilling veggies. Green peppers, onions, eggplant, tomatoes and corn.

8. Find a new salad dressing. Most of them are full of Trans fats and cholesterol. The newest spray on dressings taste great and only have 2-3 calories per spray. Usually 4 sprays does it.
Olive oil is good, and maybe add vinegar or lemon juice. Also, skip the bacon bits, croutons, and egg yolks.

9. Go overboard on fruits and vegetables. They contain no cholesterol and they have lots of nutrients like antioxidants.

Here are some examples of great fruits and vegetable that are high in nutrition: green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, mangos, papaya, pineapple, tomato, garlic, onions, spinach, water chestnuts, bananas, apricots, blueberries, and kiwi.

10. Avoid fast food like french fries and anything else from the deep fryer. Those foods will raise your cholesterol like crazy, so stay away from the burger joints if you can.

11. Bonus tip: Use spices like pepper and oregano to add flavor to your dishes. They are a healthy alternative to other toppings like Mayo.

That was easy, wasn't it? Just make some of these changes and get plenty of exercise like brisk walking, jogging, swimming, or playing basketball.
Even taking the dog for a walk. mowing the lawn or playing with your grandchildren will give you exercise.

You will have lower cholesterol levels in no time!

Try Vasacor Risk Free To Help Reduce Your LDL levels and Increase Your HDL Levels

* Use fiber-rich foods such as whole grains as your primary source of carbohydrates. Fiber is known to clear the plaque cholesterol builds on the walls of your arteries.

* Explore recipes calling for fresh fruits and vegetables like berries, oranges, apples, pears, grapes, bell peppers, broccoli, kale cauliflower, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, celery, squash and egg plant into meals.

* Replace the saturated fats found in animal foods such as meat, poultry and dairy products with unsaturated fats whenever possible. Specifically, the omega-3 type found in vegetable and fish oils are considered healthy choices.

* Grill, bake or broil foods instead of frying. BBQ is great this time of year.

* Egg whites are cholesterol free, but a single egg yolk has 213 milligrams of cholesterol. Eliminate the yolk whenever possible. Egg beaters tastes great and you won't miss the cholesterol.

* Choose chicken instead of duck. Don't forget to remove the skin before cooking since fats are stored in the skin.

* Focus on including proteins from soy, poultry and fish in your diet, instead of meat.

* While too much fat in your diet can increase blood cholesterol levels, a food's fat content is not a reliable gauge for evaluating its cholesterol content. Liver and other organ meats may be low in fat, but bring high amounts of cholesterol to your diet.

* If you just can't give up desert, choose one that is fat free. Try topping it with fruit and you will improve its fiber content.

Unfortunately, significant changes aren't going to happen overnight. You should expect to wait 3- 6 months for diet efforts to register with lower cholesterol levels.

Any real change in your cholesterol level is a long-term goal.

So what cholesterol levels are low, high and ok?

Total cholesterol:
Below 200mg/dL is the safe and desired level
201-239mg/dL is borderline high risk
Over 240mg/dL is high risk level

LDL Cholesterol:
Below 130 is the safe and desired level
130 to 160 is borderline high risk
Over 160 is high risk level

Step by step ebook that not only explains what cholesterol is and why high cholesterol is dangerous but walks you by the hand on how to get your cholesterol levels lower.

Starting off with the basics of how and why and follows through to your shopping cart and kitchen you will be able to listen on MP3 or read on PDF
(you get both versions)
and Cholesterol Revitaliser ready for instant download to your computer so you can start right away.

Cholesterol Revitaliser takes you from grocery store and into the kitchen with recipes and tips and cuts through all the myths about cholesterol.

Check It Out Here!

When you are shopping at the grocery store and are reading the nutrition facts remember that it is the saturated and trans fats that your body turns into cholesterol.

It's not the cholesterol that you see on the nutrition label.

If you watch your saturated and trans fats, then you need need to be concerned about the cholesterol listing.

Researchers have found a connection between having high cholesterol levels and being prone to panic attacks.

Not everyone who has high cholesterol will have panic attacks but it has been noticed that a good percentage of those who do get panic attacks have high cholesterol.

Also, researchers have found that a big meal, heavy in fat may also set off a panic attack. We all know that high fat meals are not good for us and now there is another reason to watch your fat intake.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This site is not intended to diagnose, prevent, cure, or treat any disease.

If you think you may have high cholesterol, please see a physician.

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