The most commonly used cholesterol lowering remedies are a variety of drugs, and in cases where cholesterol levels are dangerously high, these drugs are essential in order to rapidly bring the cholesterol levels under control. This however should not be continued indefinitely, and in most cases, the best treatment is natural cholesterol lowering remedies.
Natural Cholesterol Lowering Remedies
The two most effective natural methods of lowering cholesterol are diet and exercise:
- Diet: One of the most important ways to lower cholesterol is to cut down the amount of fat in your diet.
Fat is an essential food group, so you should never attempt to cut it out entirely, but you should limit the amount you consume, particularly of saturated fats. Trans fats too, which are found in many cookies, biscuits, and pastries, are bad for you and should be avoided. Fats that are good for you can be obtained from sources such as nuts and sea food, which have many additional benefits.
Krill and flaxseed are particularly good natural cholesterol lowering remedies. Whenever you eat meat and dairy products, you should ensure that they are low fat. For cooking, you should try to use olive oil or vinegar instead of butter or other oils such as coconut oil.
Your diet should mainly consist of fruits and vegetables - soluble fiber is particularly important. Whole wheat bread and brown rice are also very healthy and should be preferred over white rice and bread. Foods such as garlic and artichoke leaf have also been found to be natural remedies to lower cholesterol and should be included in your diet.
- Exercise: Exercise is extremely important for your body to optimize its functioning and get rid of excess weight, which in turn leads to high cholesterol. It is therefore one of the best and most natural cholesterol lowering remedies. You should exercise for at least 45 minutes daily; this can be simply walking or some more vigorous exercise. Losing even a few pounds can have a considerable beneficial effect
In addition to the above mentioned cholesterol lowering remedies, there are several things that you can do:
- Reduce your intake of alcohol.
- If you smoke, you should stop it completely (this can be done gradually if necessary).
- Cut down on salt - hypertension often accompanies high cholesterol.
Regularly monitor your cholesterol levels and other things such as blood pressure as well. Consult your doctor regularly - treating your problem naturally does not mean refusing medical help.