weight loss

Here are 13 natural remedies that lower your cholesterol.
1. Watch your weight.
Studies have shown that the more overweight you are, the more cholesterol your body produces. Every 2.2 pound rise in body weight elevates your cholesterol 2 points. Aim for a diet composed of two-thirds fruit, vegetables, cereals and whole grains. Only one-third of your calories should come from meat and dairy products (which are often high in fat and calories).
2. Watch your fats.
Saturated fat elevates blood cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fat lowers blood cholesterol. So, it would be wise to cut back on such sources of saturated fat as meat, butter, cheese and hydrogenated oil. Replace these sources with fish, poultry, low-fat dairy products and polyunsaturated oils like corn, safflower and soybean.
3. Eat less eggs.
You don't have to cut them out completely. Just limit yourself to three whole eggs per week. Since only the yolk contains cholesterol, use the egg whites freely. You can substitute two egg whites for every whole egg - even when baking. You can make scrambled eggs or an omelet using one whole egg with two to four egg whites.
4. Eat more beans.
Beans and other legumes contain pectin, which surrounds cholesterol and escorts it right out of the body. One cup of beans - navy beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, lima beans, soybeans, black-eyed peas and lentils - will all perform this cholesterol lowering activity.
5. Eat more fruit.
Fruit also contains pectin. Try to eat a variety of fruit. For instance, a half a grapefruit at breakfast, an apple at lunch and some orange sections at dinner could probably lower your cholesterol quite nicely.
6. Eat your oats, brans and barley.
Oat bran, corn bran and barley appear to lower serum cholesterol in the same fashion as pectin rich fruits and does as good a job as beans. Oatmeal can also reduce cholesterol.
7. Eat carrots.
Carrots also have pectin content. Studies have shown that eating just 2 carrots a day can lower high cholesterol 10-20%. That could be enough to bring levels into a safe range.
8. Drink skim milk.
A compound in the nonfat portion of skim milk inhibits cholesterol production in the liver.
9. Take garlic.
Large quantities of raw garlic can reduce harmful blood fats. Unfortunately, it can also reduce your number of friends. One gram daily of liquid garlic extract, however, can reduce your cholesterol level an average of 44 points in six months.
10. Fiber rich psyllium seeds.
Psyllium seeds are the main ingredient of the bowel regulator Metamucil. Metamucil and other psyllium seed products may be a good alternative treatment when diet alone does not bring blood cholesterol levels down.
11. Exercise.
One of the best ways to lower your levels of LDL cholesterol is through vigorous exercise. It also increases the body's ability to clear fat from the blood after meals.
12. Do not smoke.
A Swedish study showed that smokers tend to suffer from low levels of HDL cholesterol. But when a group of habitual smokers kicked the habit, they all experienced rapid and noticeable increases in HDL concentrations.
13. Drink Tea.
The tannins found in tea may also help lower cholesterol. A study found that people on a high cholesterol diet that habitually drank tea had blood cholesterol levels within a normal range. AND TAAK SKINNY FIBER