Cholesterol, a waxy material located in the fats found in your blood, is necessary for cell construction. However, high levels of it can increase your chances of heart disease. This is because high cholesterol causes fatty deposits to develop in your blood vessels, constricting the blood flow through your arteries. As a result, your heart may not receive the oxygenated blood it requires to work properly. Although high cholesterol may be an inherited trait, there are several ways you can lower it naturally.
Lose Weight
According to the Prevention website, losing weight can not only help lower the numbers on the scale, it can help lower your cholesterol levels. Shedding even a small amount, such as 5 or 10 lbs can make a big difference in your cholesterol.
Just be sure you do it sensibly, avoiding crash diets that are unhealthy and difficult to maintain. Instead aim to lose about 1 lb a week. Because 1 lb averages out to 3,500 calories, you will need to eliminate 500 calories a day through exercise or by monitoring calorie intake. Consult a physician before starting a weight loss regimen, especially if you are extremely overweight.
Orange Juice
The Reader’s Digest suggests adding two glasses of orange juice to your breakfast. Orange juice, when fortified with plant sterols, can lower your total cholesterol levels by as much as 7 percent. Bad cholesterol can drop by as much as 8 points.
When glasses were bumped up to three a day, researchers at the University of Western Ontario found that HDL cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol, increased by 21 percent. In addition, orange juice improved the ratio between bad and good cholesterol by 16 percent. Just be sure to drink sterol-fortified orange juice because regular orange juice may have no effect on cholesterol levels.
Eat Good Fats
Although cutting back dietary fat is known to help lower cholesterol levels, the Prevention website suggests focusing on cutting back saturated fat in particular. Monosaturated fat, found in foods like avocados, peanut butter, nuts and olive oil can actually help lower the levels of bad LDL cholesterol. Simultaneously, it increases HDL, or good cholesterol, levels.
Omega-3 fatty acids, which appear in a variety of fish such as salmon, albacore and mackerel, can lower the LDL cholesterol levels. However, saturated fat intake must be lowered in addition for omega-3 fatty acids to have an effect on LDL levels.
