**This is a sponsored post on behalf of Tomoson and its advertiser, Intelligent Labs. Although I have been compensated for this review, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.**
I have always been fortunate to have a healthy level of cholesterol so managing my HDL and LDL was never a concern for me. I eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly and that has kept my cholesterol in check over the years.
Mr. Real Food, on the other hand, has not been as fortunate. For all of his adult life, his cholesterol level has hovered in the low to mid 200 range. Now that he’s in his upper 40s and has had a family history of heart disease, getting his cholesterol under 200 became a high priority for him.
Unfortunately, many doctors (his included) opt for the easy solution – medication. It is estimated that somewhere around 36 million Americans currently take cholesterol lowering statin drugs to help lower their risk of heart attacks and strokes. After reading many of the potential side effects of statins, we decided to avoid medication and try a natural approach.
Our natural approach worked! Through the changes we made, we were able to lower his cholesterol from 226 to 196 over a six week period. These changes may not work for everyone, and you should ALWAYS consult your doctor (as we did) to make sure this is a safe approach for your specific health needs. This is simply what worked for him.
A Natural Approach to Lowering Cholesterol
Change your diet.
The foods you eat play a significant role in the amount of cholesterol found in your blood. Foods that are high in saturated fats are especially harmful, while fruits, vegetables and whole grains are helpful. We opted for a strictly vegetarian diet during this period and substituted beans, lentils and other vegetarian options for meat products. Check out this list of cholesterol lowering foods.
Eat oatmeal for breakfast.
Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, meaning that it makes you feel full longer and interferes with the absorption of cholesterol. In essence, it removes the cholesterol from your body before it is able to get into your bloodstream.
Add a quality fish oil supplement.
Fish contains heart-healthy omega 3 fats. While our normal diet included salmon once a week, Mr. Real Food needed more of these heart-healthy fats so we decided to supplement. After doing some research, I learned that there were significant differences in the quality of supplements on the market. Fish oil comes in two types – natural triglycerides and artificial ethyl esters. Similar to processed foods, manufacturers are able to significantly cut production costs by using artificial ingredients. However, ethyl esters are less well absorbed by the body rendering them less effective. We decided on Intelligent Labs Ultra Pure Omega 3 supplement. Made with natural triglycerides, it has 2250mg of omega 3, which is well above the industry average and it’s highly refined and purified. These have a pleasant taste (slightly lemon-y) and don’t create fish burps. If you’ve ever experienced fish burps, you’ll know how significant this is! They are easy to take and have benefits beyond being heart-healthy; it has also been linked to improving athletic performance, helping with weight loss, and developing muscle strength.
Move more throughout the day.
Exercise has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and allow your body to flush it out. If you don’t currently have an exercise routine, consult with your doctor to find a healthy approach to add exercise into your day. Even a few minutes of moderate to vigorous movement has been shown to help maintain cholesterol levels. If you’re not ready to hit the gym, consider these tips to add more steps into your day or to start an exercise program.
Melisa says
I eat oatmeal every single day. Sometimes twice a day. I’ve never had cholesterol issues, and I’m guessing this might be why. lol I don’t think I have a family history either, so I don’t have it playing on me from that angle, and I don’t really eat a lot of food high in cholesterol.
Inspiring Kitchen says
These are the ways to naturally lower your LDL. Oatmeal is very effective, so I make sure my husband and I have this for breakfast every day.
Rachel Mouton says
We have been trying to eat more real (whole) foods around our house. Thanks for the great tips because it’s not always easy. We have a family of 5, so it is especially tough pleasing everyone.
Sarah Bailey says
Thank you so much for this – I have slightly high cholesterol so I need to bring it down and will be trying some of these tips! x
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tara pittman says
High cholesterol runs in my family so I do all of these. I am able to keep my count under 200.
Liz Mays says
I don’t know why I’ve never added the Omega 3 into my diet. I need it. I know I do. I tend to run a bit high on cholesterol.
Amy Jones says
These tips sound great, and oatmeal is my favourite thing on earth!
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Michelle Gwynn Jones says
My father read you should eat oatmeal. That would be fine except that he never says he is out until it is breakfast time.
Karlaroundtheworld | Karla says
I’ve been missing out on oatmeals, I love it when posts like this remind me of food that really works. The other advice here are invaluable as well.
Elizabeth O. says
We’re not getting any younger and it’s good to keep the cholesterol level down as much as possible! This is awesome and thanks for all the tips on how to manage your cholesterol without taking any medication!
Amanda Love says
Switching to a healthier lifestyle will definitely keep your cholesterol down. It’s important to eat more fiber as well, oatmeal normally does the trick! I love that you also included being active throughout the day. It’s important to at least have on exercise routine to stick to.
Ana De- Jesus says
I don’t have a high cholesterol at the moment as far as I am aware but eating oatmeal for breakfast would be a great idea!
Alyssa C says
My father has high cholesterol and has no idea how to lower it naturally, I am definitely going to recommend oatmeal everyday!
wendy says
These are all true! Having LdL is never good and can lead to so many problems you do not need or want! Great post with amazing ways to help lower that bad LDL!
Claudia Krusch says
High cholesterol runs in my family so I do all of these and make sure my son does it too! I am able to keep it low, which makes me very happy!
Nicole Escat says
Oh, this is so helpful. I will share this with my father as his cholesterol level is leveling up.
Echo says
Changing your diet and exercise can really be the key to so much. Everything else is just a booster.
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Leigh Anne Borders says
Great articles with some great tips. I am starting to eat healthier and this is very helpful.
Kathy says
These are all such great tips on lowering cholesterol. I do love having oatmeal, so I’ll make sure to be eating that more often as well. That’s one of my favorite breakfast foods.
Lexie Lane says
I like the natural way to stay healthy. Our body needs to be taken care of and we need to eat the right foods to stay healthier.
Anita Hendrieka says
Great tips! I have always struggled with high cholesterol so I will be bookmarking this!
Shannon Peterson says
I have had to majorly cut back on eggs since getting pregnant, because it was raising my cholesterol so much!
Shannon Peterson recently posted…How to find reliable trustworthy childcare in your area
aziel morte says
These are really great tips for lowering cholesterol, My mom should know about this
ana fernandez says
What a great way to take care of my health! Im adding this to my diet!
Mardene Carr says
This is very very sound advice for anyone looking to lower cholesterol or even maintaining weight
WhatLauraLoves says
Fabulous post; I love the idea of being able to lower your cholesterol naturally. I really should eat more porridge xxx
Kathy Kenny Ngo says
I drink a lot of water as well since its one of the best ways to detox. Exercising also helps a lot.
andrestrang says
All of these are very easy to take, and I recommend alfalfa as a product for lower cholesterol level naturally. Alfalfa also brings about many other benefits, I think people should have a try. Thanks for the post, it’s really such a helpful information.
andrestrang recently posted…Home Remedies for Pink Eye
April Mims says
Thank you for the alfalfa suggestion. I will definitely have to look into that and learn more about it, especially if it has other benefits as well!
April Mims recently posted…Meatless Meals and the Meat-eating Family