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Reduce Cholesterol Naturally

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a yellowish fatty substance and is one of the

essential ingredients of the body. Our bodies make

cholesterol in our liver and we also get liver from our

diets! It is the principle ingredient in the digestive juice

bile, in fatty sheaths that insulate nerves and in sex

hormones. It performs several functions such as fat

transportation, providing defense mechanism, protecting

red blood cells and muscular membrane of the body.

Cholesterol cannot dissolve in our blood so proteins called

lipoproteins carry it where it needs to go.

What is LDL Cholesterol?

There are types of lipoproteins: low density lipoprotein that is also known as the bad cholesterol and is

the main cause of blockage in the arteries;

What is HDL?

The second type of lipoprotein is high density lipoprotein that’s known as the good cholesterol as it

removes the bad cholesterol from the blood and helps prevent heart attack.

What are Triglycerides?

Triglycerides are fat that is found in our blood. Everyone needs triglycerides for good health because

our body used them to produce energy!

Proper Cholesterol Levels:

So what numbers do you need to pay attention to when it comes to cholesterol?

You need to know what your total cholesterol level is.

You need to know what your LDL numbers are, that is the bad cholesterol

You need to know what your HDL cholesterol numbers are.

You need to know what your Triglyceride numbers are

And finally you need to know what your cholesterol ratio is. That is the ratio of total cholesterol to your

good cholesterol!

So take out your last blood test and let’s look at these numbers and what they mean!

Total Cholesterol Levels

Less than 200 Desirable

Between 200-

239 High

240 and above Dangerous

LDL Numbers

Less than 100 Ideal

Between 100-

129 Good

Between 130-

159 Kind of High

Between 160-

189 High

190 and above Dangerous

HDL Numbers

60 or more Ideal

50 or more for

woman or 40

or more for

men

OK

Under 50 for

woman or

Under 40 for

men

Dangerous

Triglycerides Numbers

Less than 150 Desirable

Between 150-

199 Kind of High

Between 200-

499 High

500 and above Dangerous

Cholesterol Ratio

You can figure out what your cholesterol ratio is by taking the total cholesterol and dividing it by your

HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol. For example, if your total cholesterol is 215 and your HDL is 52,

your cholesterol ratio is 4.13 (215/52)

3.50 or less Ideal

Between 3.51 to

4.99 Ok, kind of high!

5 or above Dangerous

What Causes High Cholesterol?

Your diet

Being overweight

Not exercising

Your age. As we get older the risk of high cholesterol increases

Your gender. After menopause, LDL, the bad cholesterol increases in woman!

Some diseases like diabetes, hypothyroidism, chronic kidney disease, and other kidney problems can

raise the risk of cholesterol

Your genes. Cholesterol may be hereditary

Smoking

Some drugs like, thiazide diuretics, beta-blockers, estrogen, and corticosteroids can reduce your HDL or

good cholesterol and increase triglycerides.

Drugs for cholesterol

Statins

Statins like Lipitor, Zocor, Mevacor, Crestor, are drugs that doctors prescribe usually to help lower

cholesterol levels. There are about 17 million users of statin drugs in the US alone. By lowering

cholesterol these drugs help prevent heart attacks and stroke.

Statins have side effects though.

Statins shut down the production of cholesterol not only to the liver but also to the brain. Our brain and

our gut need cholesterol to function properly. Additionally statins have a big negative effect on muscles.

Muscles get energy from small cells called mitochondria, the energy center of each cell. Statins kill

these mitochondria, so the result is that some people on statins are extremely fatigued because they

cannot create the energy they need. Additional side effects include:

Memory loss

headache

difficulty sleeping

flushing of the skin

muscle aches, tenderness, or weakness

drowsiness/ weakness

dizziness

nausea and/or vomiting

abdominal cramping and/or pain

bloating and/or gas

diarrhea

constipation

rash

Natural Ways to Reduce Cholesterol

Because of the above side effects, many people seek natural ways to reduce their cholesterol level.

So what is the most effective way to naturally reduce your overall cholesterol levels? The most effective

way is one that addresses all the risk factors of cholesterol. In other words, you have to pay attention to

your diet and you have to stop smoking and start exercising. That by itself may not be enough for most

people, simply because the problem may be greater or most of us do not want to restrict our diets in a

way that will decrease our quality of life. So we need to address other areas like reduce the amount of

cholesterol we produce in the first place AND reduce the amount of cholesterol that our body absorbs.

There are ways that we can also get rid of some of the existing cholesterol in our bodies. The point is

that we have to attach the issue from all the different risk areas! So let’s look at these areas in detail!

The areas you need to address are:

Diet and exercise

Balance your hormone levels

Reduce cholesterol production

Reduce amount of cholesterol your body absorbs

Reduce existing cholesterol in your body

Lower your LDL and reduce oxidation

Increase HDL or good cholesterol

Diet and exercise to reduce cholesterol naturally:

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol#1: When you want a snack, the snack of choice for you should be nuts.

Nuts like walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios are rich in polyunsaturated fatty

acids which help keep blood vessels healthy. Make sure that they are not salted nor have sugar on

them!

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol #2: Oatmeal, oat bran, brown rice, whole-wheat cereals, buckwheat and

whole-grain foods such as pasta, cornmeal and tortillas are foods high in fiber and very beneficial

in lowering cholesterol!

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol#3: When you use oil, make sure it is olive oil. Olive oil can lower your

“bad” (LDL) cholesterol but leave your “good” (HDL) cholesterol at the same level.

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol #4: Eat more fruits and vegetables

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol #5: Avoid red meats which contain a lot of saturated fats and cholesterol

which increase your LDL

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol #6: Reduce your salt intake. Make sure you intake less than 1500 mg per

day of salt

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol#7: Regular exercise is also an important natural home remedy for

lowering the bad cholesterol and raising the good cholesterol levels. Exercise is one of the best natural

remedies for cholesterol reduction.

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol #8: Lose Weight

Balance your hormone levels

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol #9: Check your hormones to see if they are balanced. Many believe that

sometimes our cholesterol levels increase as we get older is due to our hormones being out of balance!

Reducing cholesterol production

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol#10: Garlic is a great way to reduce the amount of cholesterol your body

produces. There have been studies that show that taking garlic reduces cholesterol. Take 1,500 – 3,000

mg per day!

Reduce the amount of cholesterol you do absorb

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol#11: Soluble fiber binds to cholesterol (sticks to it, if you will) and gets rid

of it. So eat soluble fiber foods like fruits and vegetables. Additionally you need to consume plant sterols

so your body actually absorbs less cholesterol. Take 2 capsules of Omega Cardio Performance, 2 times a

day.

Getting rid of some of the cholesterol in your body

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol#12: Eat artichoke and take artichoke leaf extract supplements. Artichoke

aids the body in the disposal of excess cholesterol. Take 1 tablet with each one of your 2 heaviest meals

of the day!

Reduce oxidation and lower you LDL (bad) cholesterol

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol #13: You have heard quite few doctors’ talk about pomegranate and its

benefits. Many refer to it as a super fruit with many health benefits, and rightfully so. Pomegranate

juice or pomegranate supplements works wonders in cleaning your arteries among many other health

benefits. Remember that the reason everybody talks about how bad cholesterol is, it is because when we

have too much cholesterol, lipids transport cholesterol among other substances thru the bloodstream.

Too much cholesterol create plaques in our arteries which blog our arteries and make it difficult for

blood to go thru. Pomegranate has been proven to aid in “cleaning” and “removing” plaque in our

arteries.

Additionally you need to take CoQ10 supplements. CoQ10 is found naturally in the body and it helps convert food into energy. It is a very powerful antioxidant and it is found in every cell in the body. People with high cholesterol tend to have lower levels of CoQ10 in their bodies. Other areas that CoQ10 is found to be helpful in, are: After heart attack, to treat heart failure, may lower high blood pressure, diabetes, gum disease, and heart damage caused by chemotherapy. By taking 2 capsules of Omega Cardio Performance, 2 times a day, you get the proper amount of

CoQ10!

Increase “Good” cholesterol and decrease “bad” cholesterol in your

blood

Ways to Reduce Cholesterol#14: Eat at least 3 servings per week of any of the following fish rich in

omega-3 fatty acids: Mackerel, Lake trout, Herring, Sardines, Albacore tuna, Salmon, Halibut.

Realistically though, you need a lot more fish oil than what you will get from eating foods rich in

omega-3. The same supplement we suggested earlier, Omega Cardio Performance, will also provide you

with the essential Omega 3 you need. Additionally, you should take 1 tablet of Niacin, 3 times a day.

So here is the list of the 4 supplements you should be taking to reduce cholesterol naturally:

1. Garlic

2. Omega Cardio Performance

3. Artichoke Leaf

4. Niacin

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