Home Remedies For High Blood Cholesterol

Most of the times when people hear about cholesterol, they freak out and they fear for the worst, but the truth is that in small amounts, cholesterol is necessary. In its absence, the body would be unable to produce new cells, but while it serves a purpose, it is harmful when it is present in high quantities.

The fatty substance is a part of the blood and given the fact that it circulates throughout our body, it is easy to understand how important it is to prevent it from growing out of control. Slowly but surely it gets deposited on the walls of arteries and veins and in the worst-case scenario is causes heart attacks.

Realizing the peril is only half of the story and it is our duty to make sure that high blood cholesterol won’t cause our untimely demise. As always, one of the leading causes is hereditary so those who know that their parents or grandparents suffered from high cholesterol, should be particularly careful.

An unhealthy diet and lifestyle would only make matters worse, so if you eat a lot of fast food and don’t exercise on a daily basis, you are only increasing the risks. Given the fact that cholesterol can cause both heart attacks and strokes, it is not something to take lightly and no effort is too much to prevent this.

Figure out the “Bad” Fats

• Eliminate as much saturated fat as possible from your diet. That means switching to leaner cuts of meats and lower fat versions of dairy products such as milk, ice cream, cheese, and yogurt. Cut out ground beef altogether.
• Run screaming from palm oil and coconut oil, which are very high in saturated fat. These so-called tropical oils are found in some processed foods.
• Another type of fat, called trans fat, or trans-fatty acids, may just be as bad for your arteries as saturated fat. Store-bought cakes, doughnuts, cookies, chips and other snack foods are often loaded with these fats, which are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oils. To find them, look for the word “hydrogenated” on the package’s nutrition label.
• Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. That’s the easiest way to feed full as you cut back on meat and other fatty foods. In addition to being low in fat and cholesterol-free, plant foods contain lots of cholesterol-lowering fiber and heart-healthy vitamins and anti-oxidants.
  

• Meat lovers should consider bison, ostrich and venison. These game meats have a fraction of the fat found in grain-fed beef. In fact, they are as low-fat as most fish. Marinate them to improve their tenderness.

Get More Good Fats

• Numerous studies have shown that olive oil not only lowers LDL but also raises HDL. One study found that people who ate about 2 tbsp of olive oil a day had lower LDL levels in just one week. Use it in garlic bread, salad dressings, in place of margarine and in place of other oils when sauteing.

• Enjoy Nuts. They are packed with heart-healthy unsaturated fats including omega-3s. Walnuts and almonds seem to be especially good at lowering LDL. Eat a shot-glass size serving a day and watch your numbers drop. But nuts contain a lot of calories, so make sure you eat them instead of– not in addition to other snacks.
  

• Have an avocado a day and you might lower your LDL by as much as 17%. True avocados are very high in fat, but it’s mainly the unsaturated kind.
  

• Eat peanut butter. That’s right, peanut butter. Yes, it’s high in calories but most of the fat it contains is unsaturated. Buy a “natural” brand that contains no hydrogenated oils.

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  Fish for Omega-3s
  

  • Fish is much more than a replacement for meat. It contains omega 3 fatty acids, which actually lower LDL cholesterol. Aim to eat fish three times a week– even if it is canned tuna. Your best bet are mackerel, tuna and salmon.=, all very high in omega-3s. Sardines are great sources too.
    

  • If you absolutely wont eat fish, take a daily fish-oil supplement that contains both EPA and DHA (two types of omega-3 fatty acids). Take 1,000 millligrams twice a day.
  • Like Clams? Indulge! Clams are high in sterols, chemicals that prevent your body from absorbing cholesterol.
  • Flaxseed are great sources of omega-3 fats. Grind them and add to your yogurt or cereal. One study found that eating 2 tbsp of flaxseed daily cut LDL cholesterol by 18%. You can also use flaxseed oil in salad dressing.

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  Eat your Oatmeal

  • Oatmeal is a rich source of soluble fiber, which forms a kind of gel in your intestine to reduce your body’s absorption of the fat you eat. Eating 1 1/2 cups a day could lower your LDL by 12 to 24 percent. Choose quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats over instant oatmeal.
  • Other especially good source of soluble fiber include prunes,barley, beans (legumes), eggplant and okra.
  • Not getting enough soluble fiber in your diet? Try psylium, found in dietary supplements like Metamucil, Fiberall and Hydrocil Instant. Research shows that taking 10 grams a day for eight weeks can reduce LDL by 7 percent.

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  Freshly Squeeze Orange

  • Fresh-squeezed or straight out of the carton, orange juice can lower cholesterol. Participants in a recent study increased their HDL levels 21 % and lowered their LDL/HDL ratio 16 percent by drinking 3 glasses a day for a month.
    
    Oranges are packed with folate, which plays a major role in helping you avoid cardiovascular disease. Try eating an orange on a daily basis or start your morning off with a glass of orange juice, which helps elevate ‘good cholesterol’ levels. The fruit also helps protect you against a stroke.

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  Why Not Wine

  • Alcohol — no matter what kind you drink — raises HDL levels. “Moderate” means one drink a day for woman and a two for a man. If you drink more than that, the damage could outweigh any benefits. Red wine offers additional benefits: powerful anti-oxidants that come from the grape skin.

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  Get into the sporting Life

  • Lace up your walking shoes and move along briskly for 30 minutes each day. Or climb on a Stairmaster and log your 30 minutes in the temperature-controlled climate of a health club. The benefits of regular exercise are incontrovertible. Studies show that physical activity will improve ratio of HDLs to LDLs, decreasing your overall risk of heart disease and stroke. Plus regular exercise helps control diabetes and high blood pressure, which are independent risk factors for heart disease.

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  A capsule Summary

  • Another alternative to prescription drugs is red yeast rice extract. It works by blocking an enzyme necessary to the formation of cholesterol and by speeding the removal of LDL from the blood. Follow the manufacturer’s directions.
  • Consider taking artichoke extract. Artichokes contain cynarin, a compound that increases the liver’s production of bile– and bile plays a key role in the excretion of cholesterol from the body. Artichoke extract is available in health-food stores. Follow label instructions.
  • Get your daily dose of garlic —either whole garlic or garlic pills. Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which is thought to be responsible for the herbs’s cholesterol-lowering effect. If you decide on garlic pills, look for enteric-coated tablets or capsules that provide a daily dose of at least 10 milligrams of alliin or a total allicin potential of 4,000 micrograms. (Alliin, one compound in garlic, converts into Allicin inside the body.)
  • Four times a day, take ginger capsules. The typical dose is 100 to 200 milligrams. Studies suggest that the compounds in ginger helps to reduce the absorption and increase the excretion of LDL.