Lowering High Cholesterol

There are basically two ways to reduce cholesterol levels. The first and healthiest way is to make dietary changes such as reducing the amounts of saturated fats in your diet as well as increasing the foods with good cholesterol that you consume.

The alternative is to use cholesterol medication which comes with many side effects that you really don't want to experience.

You will find that the best foods for lowering cholesterol are those which contain high amounts of fiber and plant sterols. While there really are no foods that have been shown to raise HDL or good cholesterol levels, a LDL cholesterol lowering diet will effectively improve your cholesterol ratios.

The two primary elements of this diet will be a reduction in those foods which contain the highest amounts of saturated fats such as beef and pork (with bacon being one of the worst) combined with a substantial increase in vegetables, fruit, whole grains and nuts.

Many people find it surprising that nuts actually are a cholesterol lowering food. They contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids which have been shown to help balance out cholesterol levels and reduce triglycerides. Not only this, but nuts are among the foods with the highest amounts of plant sterols. Sterols are found in all plants and have been proven to help reduce the amount of cholesterol that is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Studies have shown that a cholesterol lowering diet that contains these foods with good cholesterol can be every bit as effective at lowering cholesterol levels as statin drugs.

If you are serious about reducing cholesterol levels without having to turn to medication, then these are the types of changes you will need to make in your eating habits. You will be surprised at how quickly your cholesterol ratios improves with this type of natural approach.

I encourage you to visit my website where I have an in-depth discussion of the best natural ways to reduce high cholesterol levels in food charts showing the best cholesterol lowering foods.