The best way to lower cholesterol is naturally, otherwise you will depend on a pill to regulate cholesterol your whole life.

Cholesterol is a fat that the body needs to function properly, that’s why our own body makes it. It is known as endogenous cholesterol . All that cholesterol that we ingest through our diet is exogenous cholesterol . But too much cholesterol can make you more likely to get heart disease, stroke, and other problems.

The medical term for high blood cholesterol levels is lipid disorder, hyperlipidemia, or hypercholesterolemia .

To lower cholesterol there must be a change in habits, the first thing to change is diet, these changes in diet always manage to lower cholesterol levels naturally, if for some reason these changes fail to lower cholesterol ideally It is to evaluate you with a cardiologist who will decide whether or not you should take medications for its control.

Having high blood cholesterol levels is something more common every day. Maybe not at extreme levels but above 200 mg / dL, which is the maximum recommended for good cardiovascular health. It should be noted that this value corresponds to total cholesterol and that within this we must differentiate between good cholesterol or HDL and  bad cholesterol or LDL, whose recommended levels are:

The importance of lowering cholesterol

Diet is an essential factor in lowering cholesterol. Many times they resort to pills or supplements that are unnecessary because when carrying out a healthy cardio diet it is possible to reduce these levels, without the need for these pills. It would not be the first time that they told me in consultation that they no longer need to take the supplement because with the diet they have solved their hypercholesterolemia.

In addition, I think that it is not given importance that it really has, because it has become very common and it seems that the more people who have it, the less important it is. But I want to remind you that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world . And it is something that is normally associated with excess weight, other dyslipidaemia, chronic fatigue, hypertension … which makes the situation much worse. And it goes without saying if there is already a hereditary factor.

The diet to lower cholesterol

The first thing you should know is that cholesterol is only found in foods of animal origin . That is to say that everything that comes from plant origin will not have cholesterol. Now, let’s see how the diet should be to lower those cholesterol levels:

The diet to reduce cholesterol should be rich in:

• Foods rich in fiber : because it reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.
• Unsaturated fatty acids: increase HDL cholesterol.
• Antioxidants: especially Vitamin C and Vitamin E.
• Omega 3: dried fruits (walnuts), salmon, avocado …

Guidelines and Tips for Lowering Cholesterol:

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. The recommended minimum is 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
• Reduce the consumption of red meat to a maximum 1 time per week.
• Eat more fish than meat:
  • White fish: 4 times a week.
  • Blue fish: 2 times a week.
  • White meat: 3 times a week.
  • Red meat: once a week.
• Eliminate the consumption of sausages, especially the fatty ones such as sausages, salami, sausages …
• Eliminate all kinds of sweets: pasta, buns, cookies … and of course all ultra-processed products.
• Reduce the consumption of sugar and sugary products to the maximum
• Eat whole grains (bread, pasta, rice …): fiber helps to slow down absorption, thus reducing the absorption of cholesterol.
• Eat legumes at least 2 times a week.
• Use slightly greasy cooking such as the iron, steam, oven … thus discarding the fried and battered ones.
• Consume the oil preferably extra virgin olive oil and raw.

And besides the diet …

Of course the diet must be accompanied by a change in habits:

• Get to a healthy weight.
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Practice physical activity on a daily basis.
• Give up smoking.

The danger of having a high cholesterol level

I’m going to be very graphic and concise at this point, but I want you to know the main danger of having high cholesterol, in order to help you become aware of its importance.

Excess LDL accumulates on the walls of the arteries, forming what we know as atheroma plaques . These plaques cause hardening of the arteries , also called atherosclerosis . This hardening makes it difficult for blood to pass and causes an increase in blood pressure . If the atheroma plaque continues to grow, it can clog the blood vessel . Another danger is the formation of thrombi . Thrombi are pieces of atheroma plaque that break loose and begin to travel through the blood. When a thrombus reaches a thin and narrow artery it can also plug it. This is what happens when someone has acerebrovascular accident (cerebral stroke or embolism).

Foods to lower cholesterol

All these foods  are functional foods , that is, they are those foods  that, regardless of providing nutrients, have been scientifically proven to beneficially affect one or more functions of the body, in such a way that they provide a better state of health and well-being.

Oatmeal

These Cuetara cookies, AvenaCol, are designed to lower cholesterol levels, as they contain beta-glucan , a fiber that helps lower cholesterol levels. And although this is true because they are oatmeal cookies (which is the cereal rich in this fiber, beta-glucan), I do not recommend their consumption at all. Why? Because 20% of these cookies (except their 0% version) are sugar . Sugar that will end up being transformed into fat reserves.

So, don’t be fooled. If you want to lower your cholesterol thanks to this fiber, eat oatmeal, and if you want to eat cookies, make oatmeal cookies yourself at home. You have a recipe in  Turn your breakfast into a healthy breakfast .

Other foods where you can find beta-glucan are rye, barley, quinoa, brown rice …

Benecol and Danacol

I can tell you a bit the same about this other product. In this case they have added plant sterols that we will find naturally in fruits, vegetables, vegetable oils … so by eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, as I have explained above, we will already be able to lower high cholesterol levels. If this is not enough, and as long as cholesterol levels exceed 200 mg / dL, its consumption may be indicated. But before always, through natural food.

It is also important to take it properly, since, many times, if not most, it is not. Many people take it on an empty stomach (when blood cholesterol is low because we have not eaten anything). In addition, there are those who take more than one a day, which is contraindicated, since consumption of more than 3 g of sterols added per day should be avoided. It is also important to know that it is contraindicated in pregnant women, infants and children under 5 years of age. 

Flora ProActiv

In these Flora products, the active principle is once again the plant sterols. But I will tell you again that I am in favor of natural nutrition and that before paying almost double (1 L of this milk costs almost € 2 and a 250 g jar of butter almost € 2.5) for these products I prefer to consume fruits , vegetables and whole grains, which naturally help to achieve the same as these expensive products. In addition, both with milk and margarines, you have to remember how much you have drunk or taken in the day so as not to exceed the recommended 3 g of sterols per day.

I want to be on the record that all the studies that demonstrate the benefits and results of these products are from the industry itself and that in addition to their consumption, they are accompanied by a change in diet and lifestyle …

conclusion

Having high cholesterol is a serious problem that you must give a lot of importance to, because it does. If you want to lower these cholesterol levels to improve your cardiovascular health, you can put into practice my  action plan to reduce your cholesterol in just 4 weeks  in a completely natural way.

The first thing is to change your habits, starting with changing your diet . If with the change in diet there is no improvement, the consumption of functional foods will be assessed and if even with these it is not possible to reduce it, a cardiologist would assess whether you should take proper medications. But you should know that changing habits (adequate weight, heart-healthy diet, quitting smoking, quitting drinking and practicing physical activity) always manages to lower these cholesterol levels . It will also provide you with many other benefits. So you know, start the change today and gain health 😉