How to Lower Cholesterol Without Prescription Drugs

Remember the maxim: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Your teacher was right! Eat 1 to 2 ounces of almonds or walnuts and one apple daily. Include flaxseeds, garlic, legumes, oatmeal, plant sterols/stanols, psyllium husk (Metamucil fiber) and soy protein in your daily diet. 

Apple pectin, oat bran and psyllium husk - rich sources of beta-glucan - help remove unwanted cholesterol before they are absorbed into the bloodstream. Eat a bowl of oatmeal or barley (3 grams of beta-glucan) everyday. Flaxseeds contain lignans and soluble fiber that provide cholesterol-lowering benefits. Include 3 to 10 grams of psyllium husk and 2 tablespoons of whole flaxseeds in your daily diet. Plant sterols and stanols lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by inhibiting absorption of dietary cholesterol and biliary cholesterol. Consume 2 to 3 grams of margarine and other plant sterol daily. Soy proteins contain isoflavones, hormone-like substances, which help reduce cholesterol. Replace non-vegetarian protein with soy protein and consume 10 grams of soy protein twice daily. Garlic helps in the reduction of LDL cholesterol and inhibits filtration of lipids into the vascular wall. Eat one clove of garlic and one 1000 mg Kyolic capsule daily. Legumes, especially dry beans, are rich in soluble fiber and help reduce LDL cholesterol. Include half a cup of legumes such as beans, peas or lentils in your daily diet daily.

References

Arnoldi, A. (2004). Functional foods, Cardiovascular Disease, and Diabetes. Woodhead Publishing. U.S.A. 1-488.

Brill, J. (2006). Cholesterol Down: Ten Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in Four Weeks--Without Prescription Drugs. Three Rivers Press. New York. 1-336.

McGowan, M. & Chopra, J. (2002). 50 Ways to Lower Cholesterol. McGraw-Hill Professional. U.S.A. 1-160.

Whiting, S. (2007). Healthy Living Made Easy: The Only Things You Need to Know about Diet. Morgan James Publishing. U.S.A. 1-325.