subject: There Are Natural Cholesterol Lowering Remedies! [print this page] Before we discuss natural cholesterol lowering remedies we must be familiar with what cholesterol is and the roll it plays in the human body. Cholesterol is a waxy substance found naturally in the body. It helps the body to preserve healthy cells and it also produces hormones that are very important for survival, but a little bit goes a long way. There is the bad cholesterol or LDL. If you have too much of this it can develop into plaque in your arteries and cause them to get narrow. Your heart is a muscle that needs a continuous supply of oxygen that is carried to it by the blood. When the arteries are narrowed the blood does not flow appropriately and therefore does not get enough oxygen causing chest pain. This plaque can also rupture and create a blood clot that would stop the flow of blood and set off a heart attack. There is also good cholesterol or HDL. This good cholesterol can take away the bad cholesterol within the arteries and transfer it back to the liver for excretion. High levels of HDL seems to safeguard the body against heart disease.
High cholesterol levels can come from other than our diet. Heredity can also play a part in it along with lifestyle and occasionally even underlying illnesses from the thyroid, liver and kidneys can affect cholesterol levels. The cause of a persons high cholesterol needs to be resolved by a physician, but if it is from diet and lifestyle there are many things you can do naturally to lower your cholesterol. Your doctor will want to prescribe medication, usually something in the statin family, but these drugs have so many side affects. You should inquire if you can try to lower it first with diet and exercise.
A lot of natural cholesterol lowering remedies will begin with the diet. Meats and dairy products are very high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Fatty fried foods and packaged snacks are also very unhealthy for you. Reading labels on food products should become a custom. You would be surprised at all the fat they put in food these days. It is better if you can eat as much of a whole foods diet rather than processed food.
These things can help to lower your bad cholesterol. Apples, strawberries, grapes, carrots and citrus fruits are good for lowering cholesterol. Garlic is also good. Some people take garlic supplements which are all right, but it is better to eat some fresh garlic everyday. Make a big pot of vegetable soup with lots of onions and garlic and spices. No meat please. Soy products can also lower cholesterol. Soy contains natural chemicals identified as isoflavones which help reduce LDL. There are wonderful soy products on the market now including soy milk, soy nuts, soy burgers and edamame, which are fresh green soybeans and very delicious. Fiber is very useful for lowering cholesterol. You should eat at least 15 grams of fiber a day which can come from a lot of vegetables, beans, rice, oatmeal and bran.
To raise your good cholesterol you need to stop smoking if you do, add more monounsatuated fats to your diet like olive oil, omega 3 oils like in fish, cranberry juice, and soluble fiber which is present in all plant foods, but more so in legumes, and whole grains such as barley, oats and rye, and root vegetables. Also broccoli, apples, berries and bananas are good sources of soluble fiber. You need to try to eliminate all trans fatty acids and all hydrogenated oils. These are the chemically altered fats that really raise havoc in your body.
Exercise not only helps to lower bad cholesterol, but aerobic exercise also helps to raise your good cholesterol. If you hate to exercise try the latest fitness routine called Zumba. If you like to dance you'll like Zumba and it gives your body a great aerobic workout.
Recent heart studies have recognized a direct link between high cholesterol and coronary heart disease. It has been demonstrated that lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol reduces the chance of having a heart attack, dying of heart related causes or needing bypass surgery. Don't let yourself be in one of these catagories!
