Although you can use medications to help you lower your cholesterol, you might also try more natural ways to bring your cholesterol down to a healthy range. Most methods involve lifestyle changes, including both diet and exercise. Health care providers recommend changes in lifestyle to improve cholesterol. Even if you have been prescribed a medication to lower your cholesterol levels, you should still try to create a healthy lifestyle so you no longer need to take the medication to reduce the cholesterol in your bloodstream.
Step 1
Watch your fat intake. The American Heart Association (AHA) gives three simple guidelines regarding fat. Total fat should be kept at 25 to 35 percent of your total calories. Saturated fat should make up no more than 7 percent of your calories. Trans fat, or trans-fatty acid, should be kept under 1 percent. If you are able to do this, you can improve your cholesterol levels.
Step 2
Limit your dietary cholesterol intake. If you are currently dealing with high cholesterol, limit your dietary cholesterol intake to no more than 200mg per day, urges the AHA. Keeping your intake below this number can improve your cholesterol levels.
Step 3
Incorporate plant stanols or sterols into your eating habits. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), try to get at least 2 grams each day of foods containing either plant stanols or plant sterols to improve cholesterol levels by 5 to 15 percent in a matter of weeks. They are typically an additive in margarines, juices, yogurts and even some breakfast bars. Check the packaging to determine whether a product contains either ingredient.
Step 4
Increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Another dietary change that can lower your cholesterol is increasing soluble fiber to anywhere between 10 and 25g a day, advises the NHLBI. A daily intake of 5 to 10g can cause a 5 percent drop in low-density lipoprotein, the bad form of cholesterol.
Step 5
Lower your caloric intake to maintain a healthy weight. Since excess weight can often contribute to high blood cholesterol, the Mayo Clinic and the NHLBI agree that it is important to lower your caloric intake to either bring you down to a healthy weight or help you maintain a healthy weight.
Step 6
Move your body. The Mayo Clinic recommends at least 30 minutes of exercise a day to improve cholesterol levels. As your fitness level improves, increase the time and intensity of your workouts to continue to lower blood cholesterol.
Tips and Warnings
- Sources of saturated fat are mostly animal-based foods, such as beef, pork, egg yolks, poultry skins, milk, butter, cheese and other dairy products. Sources of trans-fatty acids are typically highly processed or fried foods, including donuts, pastries, cookies, crackers, chips and hydrogenated cooking or vegetable oils. Total fat should largely be comprised of monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids. These are found in avocados, peas, soybeans, nuts, seeds, grains, salmon, tuna, mackerel and other cold-water fish. Good sources of fiber include oranges, apples, bananas, peaches, berries, carrots and broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cereals, oatmeal and legumes, such as pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans and lentils.
