Top 6 Ways of Lowering Cholesterol Naturally

With the safety of cholesterol medications being called into question, several drug-free alternatives can be tried. Some of the ways of lowering cholesterol naturally include:

· Go vegetarian

A vegetarian diet is effective in reducing cholesterol. You can consider a vegetarian diet over the short run (say 3 to 6 months) if you are considering the option of lowering cholesterol levels. Consider increasing the levels of fresh vegetables consumed. This will help to support the general health of the body by supplying a range of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Before venturing into a vegetarian diet seek for advice from your healthcare provider so that you may know how best to consume a balanced diet.

· Think fiber

Fiber is an important food that helps with lowering cholesterol. In search for fibers, you will discover some of them are better than others - water-soluble options such as oat bran, pectin, and guar gum or psyllium seeds are such examples. These water-soluble options form a gel that has the capacity of binding bile and cholesterol present in the gut, allowing them to be excreted as part of the bowel motions. Furthermore, these options play an important role in improving levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and decreasing bad cholesterol (LDL).

· Avoid caffeine

There is a strong link between consumption of coffee and cholesterol levels particularly if you are a heavy drinker, consuming around 6 cups per day. To ensure good health, coffee needs to be left out of the diet. Alternatively, if you must drink coffee it should be reduced to 1 to 2 cups per day.

· Avoid sugar

Eating sugar often promotes the cholesterol production in the body. The sugar intake in the average person's diet is notably out of control to the point where the majority of people no longer identify high degrees of sweetness. Furthermore, sugar is addictive. In case you make the decision of eliminating sugar from the diet, you will discover foods such as grains and carrots taste sweet. When you seek to introduce highly sweet drinks like soft drinks or highly sweet foods into the diet, you will discover you are no longer able to stand their sweetness.

· Exercise

There is a direct relationship between an individual's cholesterol levels and physical activity. Exercise has the ability of improving good cholesterol levels while decreasing total cholesterol.

· Eat more garlic

According to studies, garlic offers a mild effect of lowering cholesterol. Therefore, it is advisable to eating garlic whenever possible. Crushed or chopped garlic can be taken on a spoon daily.

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