My Experience Lowering Cholesterol

I am genetically predisposed to having high cholesterol. My father has had high cholesterol for some time. When I was growing up, I was made aware of which foods contain cholesterol and saturated fats. Consequently, I was only eating these so-called high cholesterol foods in moderation.

About twenty years ago, after a routine physical (my first in many years), my doctor told me that I had a cholesterol level of 280. At the time I was cycling 50 miles per week, running 3 miles per day and playing soccer twice a week in a competitive adult league. Adding exercise was not a recommendation the doctor made. Since I thought I was on a low cholesterol diet (avoiding high cholesterol food), since I was getting plenty of exercise, and given my family history of high cholesterol, the doctor suggested that I start using cholesterol lowering medication. At the time, I chose to ignore his recommendation and my problem.

About seven years ago, a close relative experienced a heart attack when he was only 32 years old. Since I was quite a bit older, and given my family history and my personal cholesterol level, it was like having cold water thrown in my face. I had to do something to get my cholesterol down immediately. I needed a natural cholesterol treatment plan.

As with my earlier exprerience, exercise was not the cure - I was already getting plenty of aerobic exercise. I went on a sensible diet with a good balance of protein and carbohydrates – eating low glycemic food whenever possible. This reduced my cholesterol levels to about 245, still a far cry from achieving normal cholesterol levels.

Under suggestions from family members, over the next year and a half, I tried various supplements. I started taking garlic pills, lecithin, niacin, and guggal. Not knowing much about the effects of each and not knowing the dosages, I achieved limited success. My cholesterol went down to about 230, but would fluctuate enough that sometimes I felt like I was going backwards.

However, my success improved when I discovered food that lowers cholesterol. In conjunction with exercise and a liver cleanse, I was able to achieve normal cholesterol levels - getting my overall cholesterol down to 194 and my total cholesterol to HDL ratio to 3.5.

Here is are the food that helped me:

• Increased Garlic consumption – although I ate a reasonable amount of food containing garlic, and took garlic supplements, I was finding limited success. Under advice from a natural healer, I increased the amount of garlic I was taking to a total 32 mg total allicin and ensured that I was using a reputable company for my supplements. Allicin derived from garlic is what is credited with lowering cholesterol.
  
  
• Increased soluble fiber intake – I used to eat 2 slices of whole wheat or whole grain bread for breakfast. I replaced this with a mixture of ¼ cup of oat bran, ¼ cup of cooked oats (I use oat groats because I like the texture) and ¼ cup of cooked wheat (I use hard winter wheat for texture). The mixture of soluble and insoluble fiber helpeds to lower cholesterol and cleanse the colon. I have since found an easier way to use fiber to lower your LDL cholesterol.
  
  
• Take flax seed oil – Omega-3 fatty acids increase your HDL cholesterol. I started taking two teaspoons of flax seed oil to increase my Omega-3 intake, one in the morning and one in the evening. You can also grind up 1/4 cup of flax seed and sprinkle them on your breakfast cereal. Although the flax seed also adds fiber, the oil is a simpler solution.
  
  
• Eliminate Trans Fat – I used to have margarine with my breakfast toast. I started avoiding all trans fats and started using olive oil for most of my cooking oil needs.

For a more complete list of foods, please refer to food that lowers cholesterol.