Cholesterol is the waxy substance produced by the liver that is needed in order to create vitamin D, certain types of hormones, and even build cell walls. Cholesterol is needed in order to live. Although this may be true, too much cholesterol can lead to heart disease. It is almost impossible to avoid cholesterol entirely. Luckily, there are healthy and natural food choices that can help you lower your cholesterol level and reduce the risk of heart disease. Food such as eggs, meat, and milk are extremely high in cholesterol. Vegetables and grains contain no cholesterol. In order to gain control of your cholesterol you could take dietary approaches or take herbal supplements. Herbal supplements include garlic, guggulipid, red yeast rice, and policosanol.
According to doctors garlic may have the ability to decrease blood levels of cholesterol by one or two percent. Although garlic has many good qualities, it is important to make sure garlic does not interfere with any other type of medication. Additionally garlic may have the ability to cause the blood clotting time to expand. Check with your doctor before consuming garlic in order to decrease your cholesterol level. If you are taking any types of medication that thins your blood, it is important that you do not consume too much garlic, as it adds to the blood thinning process.
For those who do not know what guggulipid is, guggulipid is found in the mukul myrrh tree. There have been clinical studies that stated guggulipid reduced blood levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. These studies were performed in India. In the United States of America, however, studies have proved the India studies incorrect. Because of the contradictory studies, the only way to see if it works is to try guggulipid on your own.
Red yeast rice was previously found in the dietary supplement called Cholestin. Red yeast rice may have the ability to lower cholesterol. It can be found in other supplements that may or may not contain small amounts of lovastatin. This ingredient caused Cholestin to be taken off the shelves and reformulated. Having stated these facts, it is fairly easy to obtain supplements that contain red yeast rice. By taking these supplements, you will be able to lower your cholesterol.
Policosanol is produced from sugar cane. In recent studies, this herb was found to reduce blood levels of LDL cholesterol. Many of the policosanol supplements that you will find will contain the herb that is taken from beeswax instead of sugar cane. This is an important difference because so far there has been no evidence stating that the policosanol taken from beeswax can lower cholesterol.
Although herbs such as policosanol can help you lower your cholesterol and decrease your chances of contracting a heart disease, there are countless other supplementary herbs that can help you live a healthier life. For example, artichoke leaf extract, yarrow, holy basil, and fenugreek seeds can help lower cholesterol. There are also dietary approaches that can help you reduce your cholesterol level.
By consuming food with fiber such as vegetables, fruits, and unrefined grains, you are taking the first step to lowering your cholesterol naturally soluble fiber that found in oat bran, barley, and apples can lower cholesterol. By substituting soy beans for other proteins, you will be able to significantly lower your cholesterol. Additionally, you can prevent coronary heart disease and lower your triglycerides. You can find soy protein in tofu, soy milk, soy yogurt, and other foods containing soy beans. Finding food with soy protein is not hard.
Although there are people that say food such as tofu is tasteless, there are foods that contain artificial flavoring that can make eating such foods easier. Eating healthy is always a hard thing to do. It is understandable to want to eat all of the food out there. It tastes good and it is okay to eat a burger every now and then, but constant consumption can ultimately lead to high cholesterol and heart failure. By taking baby steps to a healthier life style, you are becoming aware of the world around you and the beauty of eating healthy.