Lower Cholesterol: Eliminate Unhealthy Fats

To maintain healthy cholesterol levels, limit saturated fats found in red meat, butter and other animal products.

Replace these fats with canola oil, olive oil, and small amount of nuts such as walnuts or almonds.

Also, eliminate trans-fatty acids from your diet completely. Look at labels and you will find that many baked goods, non-dairy creamers, trail nut mixes, crackers, and even some breads contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils--these are trans-fatty acids.

These type of oils play a significant role in raising lipid levels perhaps even more so than butter, red meat and other sources of animal fat.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils create excessive dampness in the body which can aggravate inflammation and pain.

One of my clients with fibromyalgia (chronic fatigue syndrome) shares that since she eliminated these type of oils from her diet, her pain is almost non-existent.

Lower Lipids with Fiber

You’ve heard that oatmeal naturally lowers cholesterol because of its high fiber content.

Other high fiber foods that help to lower cholesterol include brown rice (try the varieties at Asian stores that include Chinese yam and beans--very good for lowering sugar levels in diabetics), whole wheat and flax seeds.

High fiber foods also help to slow down the absorption of simple and complex sugars in the diet to help promote more even blood sugar level and reduce fatigue.

So eat more fiber and improve your cholesterol and energy levels.

Natural Statins and Plant Sterols

You’ve probably heard of statins in relation to chemical drugs such as Lipitor. Statins lower cholesterol.

Plant statins also lower cholesterol but occur naturally in foods such soy products and almonds. However, it is often challenging to get enough of plant statins in the diet to benefit cholesterol levels.

Also, like synthetic statins, natural statins may have an impact on the liver. As a result, clients should check with the medical doctors about the appropriateness of having regular liver enzyme monitoring when on chemical or natural statins.

Red yeast rice is a food that is high in statins and has had some clinical success in lowering cholesterol levels naturally.

However, it is difficult to get a standardized dosage and this food may also create side effects for certain individuals similar to synthetic statins.

There has also been concern that during the fermentation process, of red yeast rice, a toxic chemical called citrinin may produced. So natural is not always necessarily better.

The ideal candidate for using red yeast rice to control cholesterol is a person with no other health concerns, no aterial blockages, and very mildly elevated cholesterol levels.

Individuals with moderate to high levels of cholesterol or those with mild elevations but who also have been diagnosed with blocked arteries or heart disease, diabetes, kidney or liver disease are not ideal candidates for using red yeast rice successfully.

Benecol makes a line of food products that contain natural plant sterols, also associated with lowering cholesterol. Their products include margarine spreads and carmel chews with high concentration of natural plant sterols.

The safety and efficacy of these plant sterol products have been well researched in Europe and also recently reported by the New England Journal of Medicine.

For an informative video on plant sterols, visit Web Md link below.