Cholesterol Control Naturally

You don’t have to settle for prescription drugs with life-long dependency and harmful side effects. There are many natural ways and preventative measures you can take to lower cholesterol.

A healthy diet, good exercise plan and the proper nutrients can often do more to lower cholesterol than most drugs on the market. Even people with a family history will benefit from the natural approaches to lowering cholesterol.

Making the change to a healthy diet is the first step in lowering cholesterol. One of the most important things you should do is limit the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet.

Here are foods to avoid or limit:nn * Whole milk, cream, and ice creamn * Butter, egg yolks, and cheese—and foods made with themn * Organ meats, like liver and kidneyn * High-fat processed meats: sausage, bologna, salami, and hot dogsn * Fatty meats before trimmingn * Duck and goose meat
* Baked goods made with egg yolks and saturated fats, sweetbreadsn * Fried foodsn * Saturated fats, including coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil (read labels on chips etc.)
* Solid fats: shortening, partially hydrogenated margarine, and lard

Here are the foods you should eat:nn * Fruits and vegetables: 8–10 daily servings, especially high-fiber items: beans and peasn * “Good fat” fish (salmon): 2 or more servings per weekn * Whole grains: 6 or more daily servingsn * Nuts and seeds: 4–5 servings per weekn * Nonfat and low-fat dairy: 2–3 daily servingsn * Lean meat and poultry without skin: 5–6 ounces dailyn * Unsaturated vegetable oils: including canola, corn, olive, safflower, and soybean oils (cook with olive oil)

A diverse diet that is high in fiber but limits saturated fat--and deadly trans fat--produces cleaner arteries. Foods that cut cholesterol levels include (artichokes; cold-water fish; corn; flaxseeds; garlic; legumes; maitake mushrooms; nuts; olive oil; omega-3-rich oils; onions; soy and soy products such as soy milk, toil and tempeh; tomatoes; whole grains; and fortified foods specifically labeled "sterols added.") Oats and carrot juice are proven to effect dramatic cholesterol reduction.nn* Chromium: This trace mineral helps promote healthy blood sugar levels, reducing your odds of acquiring insulin resistance--a condition that can result in high cholesterol and trigylceride levels.nn* Garlic: Garlic supplements at least those that contain standardized and high levels of allicin--have been shown to lower LDL, cholesterol and raise "good" cholesterol, known as high-density lipoprotein, or HDL.nn* Guar Gum: The guar, or cluster bean, provides a gum that has 8 times the thickening power of cornstarch. Some guar products come mixed with citrus pectin another cholesterol--fighter--and are water-soluble so you can simply stir and drink. nn* Gugulipid: The gum of the myrrh tree is an ancient Indian medicine believed capable of lowering both LDL, and triglycerides by roughly 12 percent. The standardized gum extract is called gugulipid, or guggul. No one knows exactly how it works, but it may bind to cholesterol in your intestines so that you eliminate the cholesterol before it enters your bloodstream. nn* Linoleic Acid: This omega-6 fatty acid--normally abundant in soybeans, corn and safflower and sunflower oil--is an essential fatty acid. Linoleic acid combines with cholesterol to form important compounds and is involved in its transport and metabolism. Its net effect is to lower serum cholesterol.nn* Maitake: Extracts of this mushroom have been linked to decreased cholesterol.nn* Niacin: In higher doses such as 500 mg, vitami
B3 may help reduce cholesterol. There's a harmless, temporary flushing of the face and body sometimes, but it's not of any danger to you. Let your practitioner know you're taking niacin because it can interact with a number of medications and be harmful for those with liver problems. Three other B vitamins, B6, B9 and B12--may not impact cholesterol readings, but they help fight high homocysteine levels, another risk factor for heart disease.nn* Nitric Oxide: Some nutritionists say this antioxidant gas interferes with the oxidation of LDL. It also dilates the arteries, easing blood pressure. Supplements don't contain nitric oxide but some promote its production in the body--products containing arginine or the tropical fruit noni, for example.