How To Lower Cholesterol Without Drugs

I have had a lot of patients ask me this question. You may know someone with this dilemma. This includes questions like:

"How can I increase the level of my HDL (good cholesterol) in my blood?"

"My LDL ('bad' cholesterol) levels are fine but my triglycerides are high: how can I lower the triglyceride levels without drugs?"

If this applies to you or someone you know, read on.

The aim of this post is to cut to the chase and answer the question above - in another article I discuss why it is a concern when your LDL cholesterol (oxidised form) and triglycerides are raised, but the gist of it is that high levels of these substances put you at an increased risk of suffering from heart attacks and strokes. High levels are also found in type 2 diabetes and other conditions that make up 'Syndrome X' or 'The Metabolic Syndrome'...more on this later.


The most important weapon in your cholesterol-lowering strategy, is a healthy lifestyle.


The aspects of healthy living we shall focus on in today's post are:

• Nutrition
• Social Habits
• Exercise
  
  

1) Nutrition
Foods that can help lower your triglycerides and LDL ('bad') cholesterol (also raise your good cholesterol/ HDL) include:

• Cold water fish especially salmon
  
  
• Fresh water fish which are high in essential fats ('essential' because your body can't make them so you can only get them from your food)
  
  
• Fish oil supplements (not all supplements are created equal: you must take one whose purity and potency are guaranteed, and which is manufactured following Good Manufacturing Processes, to Pharmaceutical Grade quality; visit here to learn about the Fish Oil Supplement I use and recommend)
  
  
• Omega-3 containing nuts eg walnuts
  
  
• Avocado
  
  
• Garlic
  
  
• Low-glycemic carbs, many of which include veg and fruit
  
  
• Vegetables especially dark green leafy types
  
  
• Fruit (whole fruit, not processed fruit like juices, which are packed with sugar - excess sugar turns into bad fats in your body)
  
  
• Foods that contain niacin (lean meat, poultry, fish, leafy green vegetables) and supplements. However do not take Niacin supplements in isolation without speaking first to your doctor. It important that you get it in the right amount, in the right combination with other vitamins and nutrients. The Essentials mega-antioxidant and mineral combination contains a balanced, bioavailable combination of essential vitamins (including niacin) and minerals. I highly recommend it, and suggest you make it your baseline source of multivitamin and mineral supplementation, to which you can then add the fish oil or other supplement.
  
  
• Soya
  
  

Foods to avoid or cut down because they raise your triglyceride levels

• Foods containing refined or processed, sugar (so always carefully read your food labels and avoid foods containing any of the '-ose' sugars eg sucrose, fructose, dextrose - any ingredient ending in '-ose' is a simple sugar, which gets converted to triglycerides in your body.
  
  
• White bread, white rice, white pasta
  
  
• Grain-based foods
  
  
• Processed saturated fats (think fast food).
  

2) Social Habits

• Smoking is a no-no. Period.
  
  
• Alcohol - usually ok if you have the occasional drink but if you are already in the danger zone and have raised triglycerides, you should avoid alcohol altogether because the sugar it contains gets rapidly converted to triglycerides

3) Physical Exercise

• Regular exercise including cardio/aerobic and strength training exercise, helps improve your cholesterol profile.
  
• Read this article for a jumpstart exercise program you can start using NOW!

Note that you do NOT get raised cholesterol from eating eggs and
healthful fats such as coconut oil though of course excess of anything, even a good thing, is not advisable.

Get started on these principles above - be really diligent about this - and you WILL see your cholesterol levels normalise. Get your doctor to do a blood test before you start these changes, and another one 1-3 months after you have CONSISTENTLY maintained the healthy lifestyle. The numbers you see will speak for themselves, and encourage you to stick to a healthy lifestyle too!