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Lowering Cholesterol Without Using Drugs

By: Michael Rupkalvis

Cardiovascular disease is thought to be our Number 1 killer, as just less than 1 million Americans die from cardiovascular related illnesses each year.

Reducing cholesterol – in particular LDL, the "bad cholesterol" (that forms plaque in our arteries that can then block blood flow to the brain & heart) - can greatly improve your overall cardiovascular health.

The causes of higher than normal cholesterol are eating too many animal products, in particular dairy products and red meat, and the liver itself producing an excessive amount of cholesterol.

So how can one go about reducing cholesterol levels safely?

Non-dietary elements can have an influence. Let’s look at these first. These include getting some natural sunshine daily and maintaining a regular schedule of exercise of around 30 to 45 minutes duration, such as walking, bike riding or swimming, to aid in strengthening your cardiovascular system. Also, if you are overweight or obese, you must lose those extra pounds. Just burning off ten pounds can result in a definite lowering of your cholesterol. As well, of course, both smoking and alcohol consumption should be eliminated or at least minimized as much as possible. With regards to alcohol, that means one drink per day for women, two for men.

More important perhaps is adjusting your diet. Make sure you drink at least six glasses of water everyday. Reduce the quantity of animal and dairy foods you eat on a regular basis to less than 10% of your calorie intake. Try to limit yourself to lean meat and skim milk. Certain types of fish, including tuna, halibut and cod, contain significantly less cholesterol than red meat. Other fish including salmon and mackerel have high levels of beneficial acids that can aid your cardiovascular functioning. Eat more foods containing dietary fiber, as well as fruits and vegetables (fresh) and avoid fried foods and hydrogenated oils.

We’ll now review some of the foods we can eat to help reduce. The fiber found in whole grains may help prevent the cholesterol in our foods from entering into our bloodstream. You should choose whole grain breads and pasta, and eat brown rather than white rice. Try to eat more soy, sprouts, seaweed and nuts as well.

Vitamins B6, C and E are generally regarded as helpful. Some other natural supplements that can be useful in reducing cholesterol levels include garlic (raw), chromium, grape seed extract, soy, carnitine and pantothine. Some of these actually increase the amount of the ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL), which can help significantly. Omega-3 fatty acids and plant sterols also can benefit your cardiovascular health. Blueberries, too, are very helpful in lowering cholesterol. And try to drink each day a glass of your favorite fruit juice with spirulina and soy protein mixed in.

Try to follow the above guidelines for two months - you should be able to reduce your cholesterol levels significantly. If after following this regime for a couple of months you find that your cholesterol levels are still too high, ask your medical advisor about it – it’s possible you may need a herbal supplement or medication to help normalize your cholesterol levels.

Article Source: Main Articles

Michael Rupkalvis manages the LifeFormulas website, which offers a unique blog about his daily activities with the ITV Ventures home-based business. One of the products offered is Lipistat which is an all-natural supplement created for lowering cholesterol levels.

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