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After my family physician insisted that I begin to take Lipitor for my high cholesterol, I became determined to lower my cholesterol naturally, without the aid of prescription drugs.

Here are a few simple tweaks I made to my diet to do so:

1. Breakfast: Instead of a bagel and cream cheese, I opted for oatmeal and an apple.

Why does this work?

It works because both oatmeal and apples contain soluble fiber, which help me to lower my cholesterol– the bad kind, that is (otherwise known as LDL cholesterol). Soluble fiber also reduces the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. All it takes is 5 to 10 grams (or more!) a day to reduce your total and LDL cholesterol levels. There are 5 grams of fiber in one medium apple. 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal has 6 grams of fiber– so I reach my daily quota by breakfast time alone!

See, little tweaks make a big difference. Let’s continue, shall we? Continue reading ‘Lower My Cholesterol – 5 Simple Diet Tweaks That Help Me to Do Just That’ »

Often, when we hear about our cholesterol levels, we automatically assume that this is a bad thing. High cholesterol is a well known cause of a variety of heart diseases and cancers and has gained a reputation as a killer. But the good cholesterol, or HDL cholesterol is essential if we are to remain healthy. If we do not know how to increase good cholesterol naturally, then we are setting ourselves up for a number of health problems.

What this HDL cholesterol does is that it stays in the bloodstream; essentially lining the blood vessels and disposing of the bad, or LDL, cholesterol. It would, therefore, be unhealthy to remove all cholesterol from your body, whilst also being practically impossible! The healthiest option is to ensure that you retain the HDL cholesterol by reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol that you have in your body. Continue reading ‘Know How to Increase Good Cholesterol Naturally’ »