Like many people the thought of having to go on to medication to reduce cholesterol especially LDL (the bad type) is confronting. The side effects of statin medication seems to really affect some people significantly causing severe leg aches & pain along with a gambet of digestive disturbances including diarrhoea, constipation, heartburn & nausea. So if you are like me, avoiding medication of any kind that disturbes the bodies balance and detox mechanisms is important.
So what are your options if your Doctor says your cholesterol is too high – here are 6 tips using diet and nutrition that may just give you the drop in cholesterol you are looking for and boost your overall health and wellbeing at the same time.
- Reduce saturated fat (replace it with mono unsaturated fats like extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts & seeds), processed and packaged foods, artificial sweeteners & sugar, fast foods, soft drinks and margarines.
- Eat more fibre – fibre is one of the best weapons in your fight against high cholesterol and obesity. Soluble fibre from fruit and vegetables especially brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, oats, barley, flaxseed, brown rice and psyllium actually helps your body soak up cholesterol as it passes through the digestive tract and moves it quickly through your digestive system.
- Eat more fish – Fish and fish oil is loaded with cholesterol lowering omega 3 fatty acids. Quality pure fish oil supplements can have a dramatic effect on cholesterol and triglycerides and every day there is more evidence to support the benefits of quality fish oil for lowering cholesterol, but also overall cardiovascular health and brain function. Just check that the fish oil you buy is free from contaminents, heavy metals and is not loaded with extra triglycerides.
- Stay as active as you possibly can. 30 minutes a day of walking should be part of any health program. Walking suits most people – it is simple, enjoyable and effective. However if you prefer other types of exercise like dancing, swimming, biking, hiking etc these will all have the desired effect of helping lower your cholesterol. If you have been inactive for some time or have a health condition it is best to check with your Doctor or health care professional first.
- Because lowering cholesterol is connected with improving your overall health and the possibility of weight reduction, here are some other suggestions to boost your results. No smoking and avoiding second hand smoke, reducing or controlling stress levels, reducing coffee and replacing it with green tea, drinking 8 glasses of filtered water a day and avoiding sweetened drinks. A good tip to help cleanse your system is to start the day with a large glass of water with the juice of 1/2 fresh lemon added. It will help keep your system alkaline, gently kick start your digestive system and gently cleanse your organs. Including a supplement that is high in folate, B12 and B6 is a good investment in your heart health as it will help keep dangerous homocysteine at bay. If you are interested in assessing your heart health, ask your Doctor to check your homocysteine levels when you have your next blood test.
- If you are looking for the quickest way to lower your LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol by adding a natural supplement to speed the process, there are many on the market – Red rice and Co Q10 combinations ( personally I have found those the best with my clients here at Step Into Health Wellness Centre) others are sugar cane wax alcohols, niacin and plant sterols. Krill is promoted to be a great supplement to lower cholesterol, but this is one supplement that I have never seen provide any improvement and it is so expensive.
(c) Maxine Wright: Advanced Dip Naturopathy – Medical Herbalist – Nutritionalist – Iridologist – Hemaview Tech - Health Coach – Weight Loss counsellor – Massage Therapist – Beauty Therapist – Speaker. Step Into Health Wellness Centre - facebook - twitter.
