If you want to Lower Cholesterol Naturally, then this short article is for you. No one has time to read long articles, so we will cut to the chase, and list everything that you need to know:
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that our bodies need to build healthy cells. It often gets a bad rap but the truth is that our bodies simply couldn’t function without cholesterol.
If you have high cholesterol levels, it usually means that you have too much LDL and not enough HDL. There are lifestyle changes you can make to help lower your LDL and increase your HDL. It has been observed that people with high LDL have low HDL which is a double whammy as HDL cleans up the arteries and removes plaque.
There are several ways to lower cholesterol, LDL and increase HDL cholesterol, and bring these to normal healthy levels.
This article covers the traditional & generational understanding of the body’s working. Unless the root cause of a problem is fixed, the problem will never go away.
In the traditional & generational understanding of the body’s working, we believe that high levels of cholesterol are basically due to poor gut health and an improper working digestive system. If you fix your digestive system the bad cholesterol will start dropping and good cholesterol will start increasing and in around 3 months you will start to see improvement in your cholesterol profile.
We believe the body works holistically so the health of your liver, gut biome/digestion and mind/emotions is all interlinked in a very complex way which has not been figured out yet.
If you have serious liver damage, cirrhosis, IBS, Crohn’s or Colitis then the following guidelines are not for you.
Through these guidelines, we will try to cure your digestive system which in turn will work synergistically with your liver and mind to achieve perfect health.
First you have to understand what is a properly functioning digestive system. Instead of doing lab testing and diagnosis we are going to list down the Signs of a perfectly functioning digestive system:
- There should be no hangnails around your nails. Hangnails indicate a diet low in fresh vegetables and the absence of micronutrients that you normally obtain from fresh vegetables.
- The insides of your cheeks should be smooth & pink without any raised edges or skin.
- There should be no accidental biting of your inside cheeks or lips, these are caused due to eating things which your body is allergic to e.g. nuts or dairy.
- Your breath should not smell bad (bad breath can be due to gum disease & poor oral hygiene also, we are not referring to that). Smelly breath due to digestive issues will not go away even after brushing your teeth.
- Your tongue should be moist, pink with no coating on it. Coatings on tongue indicate the health issues of the digestive system e.g. a white coating indicates bacterial imbalance. Never use a tongue cleaner as it can damage your tongue receptors and hide digestive problems.
- You should have regular bowel movement every day without using any laxatives or medicines.
- The bowel movement should be satisfactory without any feeling of incomplete relief.
- There should be good urge without the need to exert to pass stool.
- The stool should be well formed consisting of several pieces between 3 to 5 inches in length (size of index or middle finger), around 1 inch thick (thickness of 1 to 2 fingers), all of this would show that the intestines are working perfectly with great peristaltic action.
- There should be no mucus or blood in the stool. Mucus indicates infection in intestines or colon.
- There should be moderate smell, nothing excessively pungent. Excessive smell indicates diet consisting of excessive animal proteins.
The next question is how to achieve a perfectly working digestive system, you can easily do that if you follow these guidelines, your cholesterol numbers will start improving steadily every month and take around 12 months to come to normal in most cases.
1. Avoid trans fats
Trans fats, also known as “hydrogenated oils” or “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil,” are common in many processed foods e.g. margarine or shortening. They raise bad LDL cholesterol levels and reduce good HDL cholesterol levels.
2. Choose meats like fish or chicken
Go easy on red meats. Fish is low in saturated fats, and many kinds contain omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit your heart health and can boost your good HDL cholesterol levels.
3. Get more soluble fiber
Fiber helps your digestive system which in turn improves your cardiovascular health.
Foods rich in soluble fiber include: Oats, Quinoa, Whole grain bread, Lentils, Chickpeas etc. Avoid processed grains or beans.
4. Eat unsaturated fats
Raw nuts are high in unsaturated fats – which are the best kind of fats. Nuts raise your good HDL cholesterol levels and lower your bad LDL cholesterol levels. Other examples of foods that are high in unsaturated fat include avocados and olives.
5. Eat fermented foods
Cheese, yogurt, pickles etc. and other fermented foods give you good gut bacteria, leading to good digestive system and good cardiovascular health.
6. Use healthy oils
Try using olive oil & coconut oil.
7. Have one plant based meal every day
Have at least one plant based meal without any meat. Hummus, falafel or something similar can be used to make one quick & healthy meal, once a day.
8. Regular exercise
Regular exercise, once a day, even a gentle walk 30 minutes a day adds a lot of health benefits.
9. Cure Constipation
Arguably the most important aspect of great health is a not having constipation at all, you should be regular and go everyday, without the need of any medicines.
You can’t have a good digestive system unless you have excellent sleep, do moderate exercise and spend time with family friends (socialize), so live a holistic life close to what the nature intended and good health will follow.
Interestingly, if you follow the above guidelines, your sleep, energy and mood will also improve.
Follow these steps and you can you can begin lowering cholesterol naturally today.
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