The Best Ways to Lower Cholesterol Without Medication

Has your cholesterol level gotten higher as you've aged but you want to avoid prescription medications? It is possible, and of course, less expensive to lower your cholesterol in natural ways that you can incorporate into your daily routine. Before you agree to start taking prescriptions to lower your numbers, try these methods and see if you can't keep your numbers low enough to avoid drugs altogether.

Nutrition

The first step in lowering your cholesterol numbers is to eat the right foods and to stop eating the wrong foods. Fatty foods should be eliminated from your diet, or at least dramatically reduced. Foods like butter, fatty cuts of meat, fried foods and full-fat milk and cheese need to be cut from your daily diet, and you should add whole grains, fish, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and legumes. Snacking on walnuts is a simple change for the better. Avoid trans fats; these show up on labels as "partially hydrogenated ... oil" and are bad for you. Be aware that margarine includes trans fats, as do baked crackers, chips and breads. You should also increase your intake of water, which carries waste out of your body, and decrease your intake of alcohol.

Replace your canola or vegetable oil with olive oil, which helps lower cholesterol.

Exercise

The second step in lowering your cholesterol is daily exercise. Now is the time to drop those extra pounds that may have been showing up on the scale. Aerobic exercise, such as walking and swimming, are excellent ways to drop pounds as well as your cholesterol levels. You should check with your medical provider to make sure your body is in good enough condition to exercise 30 to 60 minutes per day.

Supplements

Fish contains valuable essential fatty acids (EFA) that are proven to lower cholesterol naturally. It isn't always possible to eat fresh fish the recommended twice a week, and a daily capsule of Omega-3 can be just the ticket. You should talk to your doctor about the recommended dose for you. If you eat fish twice a week, you would take less Omega-3, for example.

Other Ways to Help

Stop smoking. This will not only lower your cholesterol, it will make it easier for you to exercise.
You may find that adding ground flaxseed to your morning cereal is a simple change that can help reduce those numbers. Adding a daily glass of soy milk can help as well.