There are certainly more natural ways to lower bad cholesterol when taking medications may seem inorganic and unnatural. If you just want to get your cholesterol under control without the hassle (or symptoms) of taking pills, here are some ways to get your heart healthy starting today.

Diet

Eat garlic. Adding garlic to your diet can help maintain reasonable cholesterol levels. Garlic lowers cholesterol without causing any side effects, in addition to preventing blood clots, lowering blood pressure, and protecting the body from infections. Although garlic is best eaten raw, garlic used in pickles is equally effective.

• The next time you go shopping at the market or supermarket, buy a big bag of fresh garlic and challenge yourself to eat it all before it goes bad. You can chop it into pieces and use it to stir-fry vegetables, stir-fry meat slices, or make soup.

Eat nuts and seeds. While all such foods are good, sunflower seeds are particularly effective at lowering cholesterol. Nuts and seeds are full of linoleic acid, which reduces plaque formation and allows blood to flow smoothly through the arteries.

• Walnuts, almonds, and other nuts aren’t in the same category as sunflower seeds, but they’re also good for you. They are generally full of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are good fatty acids. As long as the nuts are not covered in sugar or salt, you can eat them safely. You can plan to eat a small handful (43 grams) every day.

Eat more fish. Eat fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are particularly good for your heart. They lower blood pressure and prevent blood from clotting. If you’ve ever had a heart attack, these fish can also help reduce the risk of sudden death.

• If you don’t know how to cook, canned tuna also contains omega-3 fatty acids. Going a step further, you can also take cod liver oil supplements, but of course, always consult your doctor first. The American Heart Association claims that it’s better to eat fish, a natural resource, but if you can’t do that, taking a supplement is better than nothing at all. Other sources include soybeans, canola, flaxseed, walnuts, and oils made from these foods, especially for vegetarians.

Eat more fiber. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains aren’t just great for your waistline, they’re also packed with heart-healthy antioxidants and cholesterol-lowering dietary fiber. There are many different types of fiber, and the fiber contained in these three groups of foods is soluble, which can absorb cholesterol in the digestive tract and prevent it from entering the blood in the arteries. So now let’s talk about the benefits of fiber.

• Oats are a superfood. Speaking of cholesterol, oats are full of soluble fiber, which lowers LDL. You can aim for 5 to 10 grams (or more) of fiber per day to get the cholesterol-lowering effect. If you’re curious, 1 and a half cups of cooked oats contain 6 grams of fiber. Don’t like oats? Beans, apples, pears, and prunes are all foods rich in fiber.

Use healthy vegetable oils. Cook with oils that are full of good fats, such as olive, sunflower, or walnut oil. Reducing your intake of saturated and trans fats is an essential step in lowering your cholesterol.

• Olive oil specifically lowers LDL levels without reducing HDL (good cholesterol) levels. Benefit your body by replacing other fats in your diet with olive oil (such as butter, ghee, etc.). It’s delicious in olive oil for sautéing, making salad dressings, or baking.
• If you want to take it a step further, know that extra virgin olive oil is better than regular olive oil. The former is less processed and therefore has more nutrients and antioxidants. When you see a lighter-colored olive oil, it doesn’t mean that the oil contains fewer calories or fat, but that it has gone through more processing.

Eat more raw fruits and vegetables. Raw vegetables provide more fiber and antioxidants than cooked vegetables. Raw vegetables retain all the good vitamins and nutrients that are often lost during the cooking process.

• Make your main meals vegetarian – whether it’s casseroles, noodles, soups, or stir-fries, just use vegetables and no meat. As for fruit, try to eat fresh fruit as dried fruit usually contains more calories. If you particularly like eating dried fruit, just limit yourself to a small amount.
• Spinach is rich in lutein, which recent studies have found can help remove cholesterol. You can plan to eat 100 grams of spinach every day to benefit your body.
• What’s more, fruits and vegetables are low-calorie and low-fat foods. Cutting down on saturated fat (you can also do this by eating soy foods) is good for your heart and lowers LDL cholesterol.

Do Excercise

keep healthy. Get more exercise based on your health. Physical activity increases body flexibility and helps blood circulation. Of course, you should also follow your doctor’s advice when doing exercise.

• Choose an activity that you can do for 10 to 20 minutes at a time that is at least moderate intensity, such as walking, biking, running, or using slow-motion equipment.
• First, exercise stimulates enzymes that help carry LDL from the blood and blood vessel walls to the liver. Cholesterol in the liver is converted into bile (digestion) or excreted from the body. So the more you exercise, the more LDL your body excretes.
• Secondly, exercise can make the protein particles that carry cholesterol in the blood flow larger. This is a good thing because smaller, denser protein particles can burrow into the lining of the heart and begin to cause blockages. Can you imagine this?

Lose weight. This doesn’t mean you have to lose a lot of weight. If you lose just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight, you can already lower your cholesterol significantly. This does not include many other health benefits.

• Watch your calories. There are not so many “ifs”, “and”, and “buts” in this matter. Increased calorie intake can lead to weight gain. Maintain a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. Eat only good fats (such as those found in avocados, nuts, and olive oil) and cut back on processed snacks.
• Try to include as much movement as possible in your daily activities. Choose the stairs instead of the elevator. Take the dog for a walk before dinner, ride your bike, and run errands. If your daily schedule or body doesn’t allow it, exercise doesn’t have to be a formal “exercise” process.

Extra Effort

Understand the properties of cholesterol. Cholesterol is a very important fatty substance in the human body and participates in a variety of metabolic activities. However, when cholesterol exceeds the normal range (150 to 200 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood), it can seriously threaten the health of your arteries and heart. By making small changes to your diet, you can successfully control and treat excess cholesterol.

Discuss your condition with your doctor. She or he should be the first person you consult. They can tell you the right cholesterol level for you. Your family medical history and lifestyle will be taken into consideration before concluding. Plus, they can keep you on track with your cholesterol-lowering plan.

• Ask them what kind of exercise and diet regimen you should implement. They can give you advice and tell you what you can and cannot do to keep your cholesterol low.

Set a goal. Everyone’s goals are different. What is your ideal index? Your doctor may ask you some questions to find the cholesterol level that’s best for you. It all depends on your family history, weight, blood pressure, and lifestyle (such as smoking and drinking).

• Doctors may recommend a low-density cholesterol index of less than 79 for high-risk patients. If you are moderate, the index you want to maintain is probably below 130. If you are lucky and the risk is low, then below 160 is acceptable. No matter which one you are, it’s best to figure these things out early on.

Quit smoking. If you smoke, quit it. In addition to the many negative health effects of smoking, quitting smoking can help increase HDL cholesterol. You will see changes within 20 minutes of quitting smoking. Within a day of quitting smoking, your risk of heart disease decreases. If you successfully quit smoking for one year, your risk of heart disease is halved. After 15 years of successfully quitting smoking, your body will be the same as that of a non-smoker. So, yes, you still have time to quit smoking.

Tips

• Instead of drinking sweetened juices and sodas, opt for tea. Tea is rich in antioxidants and can be enjoyed hot, cold, and in a variety of flavors.
• Only drink in moderation. Drink one cup a day for women and two cups a day for men. Do not overdose. One glass of wine can increase HDL levels. But if you don’t already drink, don’t start. The benefits are not worth ignoring the dangers of drinking.
• Have your doctor check you regularly and give you advice on lowering your cholesterol.