Eat garlic. Garlic is an excellent substance to add to your diet to keep your cholesterol levels at a reasonable number. It can reduce cholesterol levels without causing any side effects, in addition to preventing blood clots, reducing blood pressure, and protecting against infections.[1] Although it is best to take it in raw form, it is equally efficacious in other forms like pickles.
Choose a form of exercise you can do for 10-20 minutes at a time, with at least moderate intensity, such as walking, biking, swimming, jogging, or using an exercise machine at low speed.[5]
Walnuts, almonds, and other nuts are good
Go fish. Eating fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring is ultra heart-healthy to due their high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Those guys can lower your blood pressure and prevent your blood from clotting. If you've already had a heart attack, they can even reduce the risk of sudden death.
Load up on fiber. Not only are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains great for your waistline, but they're wonderfully full of heart-healthy antioxidants and cholesterol-lowering dietary fiber.
It's practically a super-food, oatmeal is. And when it comes to cholesterol, it's full of the soluble fiber that lowers your LDL cholesterol. Aim for 5 to 10 grams (or more!) of fiber a day to reap the cholesterol-lowering effects.
If you're curious, 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal ranks in at 6 grams of fiber. Not an oatmeal fan? Kidney beans, apples, pears, and prunes are also high-fiber foods.
Use healthy vegetable oils.
Munch on raw fruits and veggies. Raw vegetables are always a better source of fiber and antioxidants than cooked ones. When they're raw, they maintain all their vitamins and nutrients -- all the stuff that's good for you. The good stuff gets cooked away when heated.
Keep fit. Include as much exercise as your physical condition allows. Physical activity increases the body’s flexibility and helps pump the blood through your arteries. And of course, follow your doctor's advice too.
- First, exercise stimulates enzymes that help move LDL from the blood (and blood-vessel walls) to the liver. From there, the cholesterol is converted into bile (for digestion) or excreted. So the more you exercise, the more LDL your body expels.[6]
- Second, exercise increases the size of the protein particles that carry cholesterol through the blood.
