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Natural Cholesterol Treatments

The goal of a natural cholesterol treatment plan is to lower cholesterol without using drugs that contain the risk of serious side effects. The idea is to decrease your levels of LDL ("bad" cholesterol) and increase your HDL ("good" cholesterol) by creating the right balance. The main objectives are to avoid spikes in your blood sugar levels, increase the amount of time you spend doing moderate exercise and to eat healthy foods that ensure your success. Getting started on a natural regimen to lower your cholesterol is a lot easier than you may think.

  1. Get Moving

    • In addition to increasing lean muscle mass and improving your cardiovascular health, another benefit of exercise is that it accelerates the body's cleansing of dangerous toxins.

      According to the American Heart Association, exercise also helps you raise your HDL and lower your LDL. The AHA suggests doing 15 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise every day. You can get the same benefit of 30 minutes of walking by breaking it up into two convenient 15-minute segments.

    Controlling Blood Sugar

    • Exercise also helps to control your blood sugar. And since spikes in blood sugar contribute to higher levels of cholesterol, it makes even more sense to exercise. Dr Nicolas Musi, associate professor at the University of Texas School of Medicine, says his studies show there's a direct effect of exercise on blood sugar, primarily due to the slowing in the loss of mitochondria in individual cells. Up-and-down changes in your blood sugar and excess insulin in your blood increase your LDL level. There are plenty of good foods that can help you control your blood sugar.

    Eating Right

    • Regularly eating low glycemic index foods is the next step in naturally lowering cholesterol. GlycemicIndex.com is a handy resource for quickly identifying the right foods for your plan. You won't necessarily avoid cholesterol in foods altogether---in fact, some cholesterol contains important nutrients. Healthy food choices include olive oil, almonds and avocados. Instead of avoiding high-cholesterol foods completely, seek to eat those foods that naturally lower cholesterol. For example, studies conducted by the University of California have shown that foods that contain soluble fiber, like Cheerios or oatmeal, can increase your HDL and lower LDL.

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