Home Remedies to Lower Cholesterol

Cholesterol is found within body cells and is used to help build hormones and new cells. High levels of cholesterol can result in fatty deposits accumulating in the blood vessels, which could cause an obstruction and lead to a heart attack. Many people take medication to lower their cholesterol. Home remedies can also effectively lower cholesterol, thus eliminating the need for medication.

Weight

• Maintain a healthy weight. Losing just 10 pounds of excess weight can significantly lower one's cholesterol.

Smoking

• There are good and bad types of cholesterol, and ideally you want to increase the good (high-density lipoprotein or HDL) levels and lower the bad (low-density lipoprotein or LDL). Quitting smoking will improve the HDL levels.

Exercise

• Exercise each day. Regular exercise will improve your good levels of cholesterol to help reduce the bad levels.

Diet

• Eat a healthy diet that will lower the LDL and raise the HDL levels. This includes foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon; whole grains; fruits; vegetables; low fat dairy foods; lean meat and monounsaturated fats.

Foods to Avoid

• Avoid foods that contribute to high cholesterol. This includes red meat, trans fat, fatty meat, eggs, fried foods and food high in fat.

Specific Foods to Eat

• Some foods are especially good at lowering cholesterol levels. They include oatmeal, oat bran, almonds, walnuts, olive oil and butter substitutes made from plant sterols or stanols.