Dear Sunny Questions
Dear Sunny,
My cholesterol is up and I'm hoping you can give me some good, healthy
advice to help with this. I don't want to go on statin drugs.
— Colleen in Collier
Dear Colleen,
They say, "What goes up must come down!" and your elevated cholesterol
levels are no different.
There are a few dietary additions you can make to improve your numbers.
But of course you'd want to check with your doctor before you embark on
any new program.
Oatmeal is a good way to start the day and has also been shown to help
lower cholesterol. Add a cup of blueberries to your breakfast and you
have a great cholesterol busting combo. Blueberries, along with their
other potent anti-oxidant effects, have recently been shown to support
both healthy lipid and glucose levels.
Green tea has many health benefits and is a great way to support the
cardiovascular system. Several cups a day can be added to your program.
(Don't steep green tea longer than three minutes as it can become
bitter.) Many brands come already flavored and it can be purchased as
iced tea also.
I hope you're using extra virgin olive oil for sautéing and also on your
salads. Another good fat can be found in flax oil. This can be mixed
with yogurt or put on a salad. You don't want to cook with or heat flax
oil, however.
All vegetables will add needed fiber, but green peas are especially
helpful for cholesterol lowering.
Eating walnuts, oily fish and lots of fruits and vegetables as part of
the Mediterranean diet has also had a beneficial effect on cholesterol
scores that are in the higher range.
Supplements can be a great help in avoiding prescription drugs. Garlic
is a very basic way to start a regimen. You may want to use one that
releases in the lower intestines for full benefit such as Garlinaise
4000. CoQ 10 is also recommended for high cholesterol and general
cardiovascular health. Blue Bonnet makes a CoQ 10 product called
Ubiquinol which is the latest form shown to be especially absorbed well
by the body. Many people have had good success with red yeast rice. It's
thought to work the same way as the statin drugs. In fact, Solaray has a
product that combines red yeast rice and CoQ10.
There are other combination products containing ingredients known to
support healthy cholesterol levels. Cholest-Response made by Source
Naturals is one of many good ones on the market.
Supporting your liver is important, so you may want to do a liver
cleanse to kick off your new plan. There are many good products for this
process and it's not as daunting as it may sound. Renew Life makes a
Liver Detox supplement which is easy to use. Just follow the directions
to give your liver a much needed boost.
Exercise is known to raise HDL, which is the good cholesterol. A thirty
minute walk everyday is an easy way to accomplish this.
Keep in mind that cholesterol is not the only factor in cardiovascular
disease. Please ask your health care professional to check your
homocysteine levels (high levels are associated with oxidation of LDL a
more damaging form of the bad cholesterol) and C reactive protein
(indicates the amount of inflammation in the body which is a marker for
risk of heat attack and stroke) also. These two numbers are just as
important in evaluating your overall cardiovascular status.
Good luck with your efforts to improve your cholesterol. Hope these
suggestions get you on your way!
Beaming with Health,
Sunny
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