How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally?

If I had to pick one number when it comes to health it would be cholesterol, specifically LDL (bad cholesterol).

Why?

More than 90 million adults in the USA have high cholesterol, many don't even realize it! LDL, specifically, is the leading risk factor for heart disease, which remains the number 1 cause of death for both men and women world wide.

High cholesterol raises the risk of stroke, diabetes, and even Alzheimer's disease.

Every 1% drop in LDL cholesterol, equals 1% drop in heart disease risk.

Take away: lower your LDL, lower your risk.

Lowering LDL risk is possible and very effective with nutrition and lifestyle modification, which has been shown more powerful than medicine in a lot of cases. Adding simple, evidence based foods, like apples, berries, and garlic, plus simple specific spices can, lower cholesterol naturally, safely, and without side effects.

Consumption of dietary cholesterol (like, bacon and eggs) have been linked to increased cholesterol.

Personal story - at my daughter's 10-year annual physical exam, doctor informed me that all kids age 10-13 should be screened for high cholesterol, according to the latest American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. I was stunned, and then I wasn't.

With the majority of population metabolically unhealthy, it's no wonder we screen earlier.  Family history of high cholesterol can be an indicator of heart disease, and in my family, cholesterol runs high, so this is a personal mission I'm on with the nutrition and lifestyle modifications to save hearts and lives of my kids and my parents, and women over 40 (who're at an increased risk of heart disease)!

Healthy Diet and Lifestyle choices can reduce risk of heart attack by 81-94% vs drugs 20-30%.

In this article I share my top 3 foods cholesterol lowering foods, each can lower your cholesterol by 10 points when consumed at a recommended dose and for recommended duration. Before sharing these foods, let's first cover what is cholesterol and what's 'normal'.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fat-like, waxy type substance found in blood and cells. It's responsible for hormone production, specifically sex hormones, corticosteroids. The liver makes all the cholesterol needed for essential functions.  We don't need to eat dietary cholesterol, to make cholesterol.

What's a normal Cholesterol?

Normal cholesterol range is <200mg/dL for total cholesterol,

• 200-239 mg/DL is considered borderline high, and 240 mg/dL or higher as high cholesterol;

Normal LDL range is <100 mg/dL

• <70mg/dL for those with heart disease (Source).

So let's clear this up, the body makes all the cholesterol we need, and we can't have too low of the LDL, even <30 mg/dL is better than high LDL. Body, specifically liver, makes cholesterol, we don't need to eat cholesterol to make it. But why do we consume dietary cholesterol and wonder why we can't lower our cholesterol?

To simplify, focus on lowering your LDL below <70mg/dL (optimal ranges), and impact the rest of your health in positive ways!

Medications like statins, even when taken for a lifetime, have been shown to slightly reduce LDL, but these medications come with side effects and other risks like, increased risk of diabetes.

Smoking, obesity, lack of exercise all increase the risk of heart disease, and we know this and we still struggle to implement healthy habits and eliminate high cholesterol foods from our diet. This is why Health and Nutrition lifestyle coaching is instrumental in helping you understand nutrition and implement healthy habits that become intuitive and part of a healthy lifestyle for years.

Many of my clients have successfully lowered their total cholesterol after just 4, even 5 days of the Nourishment Cleanse. Plant based menu that's packed with cholesterol lowering foods. My dad lowered his cholesterol and kept it in normal ranges, after struggling with high cholesterol all his life, once he tried the cleanse. A client lowered her cholesterol by 50 mg/dL after completing three (3) rounds of the Nourishment Cleanses and implementing other lifestyle modifications, all part of the 3 - Month Hunger Hormone Reset. There are so many client success stories, too many to include here, but the point is nutrition and lifestyle work for lowering cholesterol even if it runs in your family.

What can you do to lower your cholesterol naturally? Try my 3 Top Cholesterol Lowering Foods, all are part of the Nourishment Cleanse and some are new that we'll be adding, and get your labs done to see the impact.

My 3 Top Cholesterol Lowering foods

• Apples - fresh or dried

  • As the saying goes, "an apple a day keeps doctor away". In this study, postmenopausal women, who are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease due to reduced ovarian function, consumption of dried apples (approx. 2 fresh apples a day) over 3 months reduced cholesterol.

  
  

  "Women who consumed dried apple had significantly lower serum levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 9% and 16%, respectively, at 3 months compared with baseline. These serum values were further decreased to 13% and 24%, respectively, after 6 months but stayed constant thereafter."

1-2 apples a day can reduce cholesterol

• Berries - raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries.

  • Plus superfood berries like Alma Berry have shown to lower cholesterol, and also blood glucose. And to be more effective than statin drugs like Zocor, without drug-side effects like muscle damage, liver dysfunction, and headaches.

    
    

  • For more info, watch video on Amla vs Drugs for Cholesterol, Inflammation, and Blood-Thinning.

  
  

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  Alma berry - also known as Indian Gooseberry

  
  

• Garlic - This is my top cholesterol lowering food. Just about 1/8 tsp of garlic powder or 1 clove a day can lower cholesterol, and improve arterial function, plus lower inflammation (reduce high-sensitive c-reactive protein) and blood-glucose (Source). Mix in 1/8 tsp into your favorite soup, or salad for extra flavor.

Garlic - Top Cholesterol Lowering Food

There are many more cholesterol lowering foods, but I wanted to provide my top 3 cholesterol lowering foods to help you get started on your cholesterol lowering health journey. Because when you get your labs back and see the LDL has gone down to normal ranges or even better, optimal ranges, and total cholesterol has improved, these results are going to motivate you to make other healthy changes.

You don't need motivation to get started, you need results. That's how you get motivated.

Next Steps for Lowering Your Cholesterol Naturally

Lower your cholesterol, and improve heart health, with health and nutrition coaching personalized for you.

Grab an annual pass to my Nourishment Cleanse and commit to monthly cleanses.

Go deeper and apply to join the Elite - 12 month Health Transformation - where you will experience the greatest heath transformation, receive personalized health and nutrition coaching from me, lower cholesterol, shed excess weight, improve nutrition and build lasting health habits.

Apply to join my Annual Program Elite - 12 month Health Transformation.