Natural ways to lower cholesterol levels
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The following natural ways will help you to lower your cholesterol levels. You don't have to use any medicine to reduce your present cholesterol levels. Let's find out what you can do naturally to control your cholesterol.
Drink orange juice
If you can drink fresh squeezed orange juice. Straight out of the carton orange juice is also good for you. They can increase your HDL levels by 21% and lower your LDL/HDL ratio by 16%. For that, you will need to drink three glasses of orange juice a day for about a month.
Eat more oatmeal
When you eat more oatmeal, it will help you to reduce your cholesterol levels. It contains high amount of soluble fibre. This fibre will form a gel in your intestine and will reduce absorption of fat by your body. You need to eat one to 2 cups of oatmeal every day and it will help you to lower your LDL by 12 to 24%. However, instead of stand oatmeal available in the market, you should go for old-fashioned oats.
There are some other foods available which also contain high levels of soluble fibre. Such foods include barley, beans, prunes, eggplant and okra.
Psyllium is especially useful for you if you are not able to find enough soluble fibre in your food. It is available in dietary fibre supplements and you just need 10 grams every day for eight weeks to reduce your cholesterol levels.
Start exercising
This is one of the most important way of naturally reducing your cholesterol levels. You will need to get active and start exercising right away. It does not matter whether you walk, run, jog, do any other types of physical activity. 30 minutes of exercise every day will help you greatly in reducing your cholesterol levels and keeping your heart healthy. Regular exercise will improve the ratio of HDL to LDL. It will reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Regular exercise will also reduce high blood pressure and control your diabetes. Going to the gym or practising martial arts or any other forms of regular exercise will help you. Choose one that you like and want to do every day.
Increase intake of omega-3s
If you want to lower your cholesterol levels, you will need to consume more omega-3 fatty acids. It is very useful in lowering your LDL cholesterol. You can eat fish because fish contains lots of omega-3 fatty acids. You will need fish at least three times a week. Even canned tuna is also good for you. You can also try mackerel, sardines, salmon etc. You can also try other freshwater fishes because all of them contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Even clams also well for you as they contain high levels of sterols, which prevents cholesterol absorption by your body.
What happens if you don't eat fish? If you don't eat fish, you can take a fish oil supplement that contains two types of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and SHA. 1000 mg of such a supplement twice a day will be good for you. You can also consume flaxseeds because they are a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids. You can add them to your other foods. If you like, you can use flaxseed oil in salad dressings.
Wine is good for you
If you drink wine, a glass of wine every day will help you to reduce your cholesterol levels. Drinking wine will increase your HDL levels. Red wine is especially useful for you because it also offers other benefits such as providing antioxidants which will keep you healthy.
References
1. Natural Cholesterol Guide
2. Cholesterol
3. What Is Cholesterol?