I lower my bad cholesterol and raised the good levels naturally after my heart attacks in early October of 2009. High levels of the bad type directly contributed to my heart disease, as it does with many other heart patients.
My doctor prescribed a medication to lower the bad levels. However I experienced the nasty side effect of dry mouth. Nothing I did seemed to relieve this feeling in my mouth and I hated to even drink or eat. I also was very tired, but I am not sure this was from the cholesterol or blood pressure medication he put me on. I did my research and learned that I could lower it naturally by changing my diet.
Diet and education
After the heart attacks the doctor recommended a triple whammy diet, low-salt, low-fat and low-cholesterol. I thought to myself, this diet is going to be awful, but I knew I had to do it. I was a single mom and needed to be here for my children, I vowed to do everything in my power to regain my health. I lived by that diet and read labels in the grocery store like a fanatic.
I also researched online and learned how to lower my bad cholesterol levels naturally by eating the right types of food. A great website that lists foods which can accomplish lowering your levels is the Prevention website.
Lower it naturally
Eating foods such as nuts, fatty fish, beans are tasty and good for you in many ways. Dark chocolate is low cholesterol and heart healthy, any diet that includes chocolate is a diet I want. Oats, as in the whole grain type are naturally lower in the offending cholesterol as are beverages such as tea, and red wine.
You may have heard or read that a glass of Red wine is recommended for heart patients and this is because it does contain high levels of the good type of cholesterol which can fight the bad type. I do not drink red wine on a daily basis, but it is nice to have an alcoholic drink once in a while that I know will help my body.
Those companies which manufacture our foods and beverages have different levels of what they consider to be low cholesterol so its best to read the ingredient label and see how much of the offending stuff is in each serving. I recommend measuring the sauces, spreads or other items which come in a jar or bottle to make sure you are having one serving. This way you are keeping the bad levels down.
I have learned that by following the diet my doctor recommended I have lowered the bad cholesterol, and lowered my blood pressure. I think most people do not know exactly how much the food we consume affects our bodies, I learned the hard way. Please do not follow my path to heart disease, get started now eating a diet which is low in all the bad stuff and eat more natural foods.
