Tips for Lowering Your Cholesterol

If you've discovered you have high cholesterol, you'll likely want to get started on lowering your cholesterol right away. Fortunately, high cholesterol is a medical condition that you have a lot of control over.

Unlike cancer and many other diseases, high cholesterol is entirely within your ability to change. Here are a few tips to help you lower your cholesterol levels.

==> The Pros and Cons of Medication

The most effective manner to reduce cholesterol is to take medications. Medications are more effective than both exercise and dietary changes on lowering cholesterol.

However, what's interesting about medications for lowering cholesterol is that they don't actually lower mortality or complication rates.

In other words, even though medication can help you reduce your cholesterol, the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle still show up in other ways.

In light of that, the best way to lower cholesterol while actually improving your health is to do it naturally, with the aid of medication if the high cholesterol counts get to threatening levels.

==> Eat Fish

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown time and time again to be an extremely effective tool for lowering cholesterol levels.

You can eat whole fish, or you can even eat canned fish or omega-3 fish oil supplements. Fish in all its different forms lower both triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels.

Try to add fish into your normal weekly diet.

==> Replace Your Fats

Try to reduce high cholesterol fats with low cholesterol, healthy plant fats.

Instead of putting margarine or butter on your bread, try using a couple slices of avocado instead. The texture is similar, but it's more natural and much healthier.

Instead of using peanut oil, try cooking with olive oil. Again, natural plant oils are much healthier and have lower cholesterols.

Fats in and of themselves aren't bad for you. It's only the processed and high cholesterol fats that harm you.

==> Go Easy on the Meat

Avoid eating meat too often. Instead, try to eat vegetables and fruits more often, as well as whole grains.

When you do eat meat, try to go for leaner cuts. Avoid fatty steaks and bulky pieces of meats. Make sure you avoid the skin and the areas of fat right beneath the skin.

Try to eat chicken or fish rather than red meats.

==> Eat at Home More Often

The trouble with eating out is that you can't see how much sugar, oils, butter and other kinds of fats and chemicals they're putting in your food.

Often times if you looked in the kitchen while they were cooking your dish, you'd be shocked at how many high cholesterol ingredients they're putting in there.

Try to avoid eating out whenever possible. Eat at home and use fats and sweeteners sparingly.

Lowering your cholesterol is entirely within your control. Talk to your doctor about a target level and use these tips to help you get started.

Natural Support For Your Cholesterol

Newest Superfoods

Every now and then, established "superfoods" have to move over a bit for the next set of nutritional powerhouses. The most recent stars of the health world are coming to light: maqui berry, acerola, baobab fruit, and cloves.

What are these foods, and what makes them so healthy? Here are some reasons why these foods have made their way onto the superfoods list.

Maqui Berry

These blueberry-like fruits are taking some of the spotlight from goji and acai berries. They are grown in Patagonia, an area on the southern tip of South America.

As an antioxidant, maqui berries rank very high on tests used to measure the antioxidant potency of various berries and other foods. (This test is called thee ORAC, or oxygen radical absorbance capacity.) Maqui's ORAC score is more than ten times higher than that of blueberries, and it may even help with weight control.

Acerola

You may have seen these round red fruits marketed as Barbados cherries or Amazon cherries. They are grown in Central and South America; their flesh is yellowish and their vitamin C content is 40 times higher than oranges. They also rank high on the antioxidant scale. You may have a hard time finding these fresh in supermarkets, though; they are more likely to be found in powders, capsules, and extracts.

Baobab Fruit

Only recently approved for export, baobab fruit grows in Africa. It has a fascinating texture - powdery without undergoing drying or processing. It contains a great deal of vitamin C and calcium, which is good news for those who don't eat dairy.
Its seeds are edible roasted, and are high in protein. You probably won't find a baobab fruit in your grocery store, however; but you may see it as a flavoring in yogurt. Hopefully, this will change after the export approval.

Cloves

This is a superfood that's been around a long time, but without the superfood status. How many of us know this little spice as the studding on a baked ham, or ground up in pumpkin pie? It turns out that cloves may have a lot more to offer. Spanish researchers have discovered potent antioxidant activity in cloves, and these antioxidants might be able to replace synthetic ones currently used as food preservatives.

While no food is a magic bullet, foods that have earned superfoods status are worth looking into, and may well be worth including in your diet.

Amplify Your Nutrition