Perhaps your cholesterol numbers are a bit too high for the doctor’s liking. He or she may want to put you on medication to ensure that the numbers go down. You may want to try a few natural ways to lower cholesterol before you take any prescribed medications to see if it has any effect on getting your cholesterol levels to a more satisfactory level.
Can Exercise Lower Cholesterol?
Exercise won’t lower your cholesterol, but it will bring up the HDL or good cholesterol levels up. You don’t have to practice vigorous exercise to get cholesterol benefits, merely take a brisk walk or a light jogging session for a half hour at least five times a week.
Yoga is said to lower bad cholesterol naturally. The reason it works is that it reduces hormones that are released when you are stressed and this in turn will lower your cholesterol. Meditation can also bring about the same effects on your cholesterol as yoga.
Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol with Food
Most people are aware that eating a diet rich in oats can help to lower cholesterol naturally. That is not the only food that can reap benefits for lowering your cholesterol levels. It is said that by eating at least 3 ounces or ¾ cup of walnuts can reduce your cholesterol levels by at least 15%. Eat at least three medium handfuls of this cholesterol fighting nut every day for several weeks and have your cholesterol numbers rechecked to ensure they are doing their job.
There are also two products in the margarine family that are said to have a major effect on cutting cholesterol numbers if they are eaten on a daily basis. Benecol’s active ingredient for lowering cholesterol comes from the stanols contained in pine trees. Another margarine product called Take Control has similar stanols that are taken from soy. Both are said to cut LDL or bad cholesterol levels by at least 14% when you combine them with other changes to your diet.
What about Nutritional Supplements
Taking certain nutritional supplements is another of the natural ways to lower cholesterol. They are not medications, but naturally occurring substances that are already present in your body or substances you should receive by eating certain foods. For instance, OC MAX is said to reduce cholesterol levels using the enzyme Serratia E15 silkworm. Serrazyme is said to be a powerful tool in not only lowering LDL cholesterol levels but it also helps in the fight against heart disease.
It is always recommended that before you begin taking any nutritional supplements that you speak with your doctor. Taking nutritional supplements combined with a healthier diet and exercise can do wonders for bad cholesterol levels. Many times just these few changes can lower your cholesterol numbers to acceptable levels without having to take medication that is prescribed by your doctor. It certainly won’t hurt to try these methods first, and if they don’t work, you and your doctor can work together to come up with an alternative treatment plan.
