I struggled with high cholesterol for several years.
Every time I went to the doctor he would tell me I needed to be on a statin drug to bring my cholesterol levels down. I have heard horror stories about the side effects of statin drugs and I was avoiding them like the plague.
Statins are now the number one selling class of drugs in the nation and new cholesterol medications are produced every day. Almost everybody I talk l with are either on statins and trying to get off, or are trying to figure out how to bring down their cholesterol naturally so they don’t have to go on them.
I was in the latter category.
And I found some natural food solutions that can make some big differences. Here are 5 of my favorite foods lower cholesterol naturally:
1. Apple Cider Vinegar
Hippocrates gave his patients apple cider vinegar 2,000 years ago as a remedy for a huge list of conditions. It is a powerful detoxifying and purifying agent as it can break down fatty, mucus and phlegm deposits in the body and therefore improve the health and function of the vital organs.
It has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. And it is also an excellent home remedy for acid reflux, high blood pressure, gout, upper respiratory infections, and more.
Take 1 teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar (Look for the wording ‘with the mother’ for the most potent form.) and mix it in a glass of water and drink it in the morning and another time or two during the day if you like.
You can gradually increase the amount of apple cider vinegar to 2 tablespoons per glass. Although best by itself in water you can also mix it with a juice to improve the taste.
For more on Apple cider Vinegar, check out my blog post HERE.
2. Turmeric
We sure are hearing more about the healing properties of turmeric these days. This bright yellow in the spice rainbow has been touted as a cholesterol lowering natural food.
It has long been used in the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a ride variety of conditions.
The yellow pigment of turmeric is called curcumin which is thought to be the primary pharmacological agent in it.
Turmeric has been shown to lower levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and cut down the buildup of plaque on the walls of arteries which may lower total blood cholesterol.
Adding a dash of turmeric powder to your soups and vegetable dishes is one of the best ways to get a daily dose of this powerful herb.
I love making turmeric tea. And I have a great recipe for it in THIS BLOG about turmeric. I grow mine in the garden and great it into my food, and you can also buy them in capsule form.
3. Broccoli
Besides possessing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, broccoli has a variety of nutrients such as calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin C and K.
Broccoli can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits especially if you will cook it by steaming.
The fiber related components in broccoli do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive track when they’ve been steamed. When this binding process takes place it’s easier for these bile acids to be excreted and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels.
It also has very positive impact on our body’s detoxification system. Included as part of your diet at least 2 to 3 times a week and make the serving size at least one and a half cups.
4. Beets
I love beets. But it is pretty hard to work with the beet in your kitchen without acknowledging the powerful signature it leaves on your hands and countertops.
The ancient wisdom buried in the ‘doctrine of signatures’ reveals itself bloodily in the beat – it definitely nourishes our blood and circulatory system.
In fact we now know that it’s one of nature’s finest cardiovascular tonics. And studies have also found that beet fiber is capable of simultaneously increasing HDL and lowering LDL levels and perhaps even more impressive, the study also found close to a 30% reduction in cholesterol.
This is one of my favorite vegetables that I put in almost all of my smoothies and green drinks.
I also just love the amazing vibrant color of this food when it is juiced by itself or with a little apple and carrot juice. But don’t be surprised – if you drink a lot of beet juice there will definitely a be a difference in the coloration in your stool and urine.
5. Micronized Purple Rice
This is hands down my favorite food for so many reasons.
By the end of the first month of adding this heirloom concentrated powder to my diet, my cholesterol lowered by 73 points!
I was absolutely shocked and so was my doctor!
This is an heirloom strain of purple rice that grows in northern Thailand in soils that have never had chemicals, pesticides, or GMO’s.
Then they remove just the nutrients – it takes 60 pounds of this rare purple rice to get 1 pound of nutrients, which they then put through a one-of-a-kind, multi-million-dollar device that gently mills it to the size of a micron.
So when you mix it in water and drink it, it’s so small that it’s able to penetrate the membranes of your gums, cheeks, throat, esophagus, and stomach to be used immediately.
The nutrients include: heirloom polysaccharide sugars that fuel the mitochondria or cellular batteries, the polypeptides (this is the only plant that I know of that has every single amino acid) containing building blocks for protein and healthy new cells, and anthocyanin (purple) antioxidants which repair damage.
While some people have called this a miracle food, the body is the miracle – it knows what to do with these heirloom nutrients so that they are used in the body where they are most necessary.
For me, the first place it went was to my cholesterol to normalize it into my triglycerides to normalize them. But it didn’t stop there!
It continued to fuel my cells so they could get rid of the arthritic pain, digestive issues, circulatory problems, thyroid imbalances. In other words this food is anti-aging my body like nothing else I’ve ever seen.
To order Micronized Purple Rice for yourself, CLICK HERE.
Are you surprised that Red Yeast Rice isn’t on this list?
That’s because I took red yeast rice for a long time hoping that it would lower my cholesterol and it didn’t.
However, I did start getting leg cramps and symptoms similar to what statins do.
Red yeast rice really is a type of the statin and can give you similar side effects statin drugs. It is also a rice that is fermented in yeast and yeast is not an thing that I want to put in my body.
When looking at cholesterol and the effects it has on your body, it is really important to look at the overall picture and lifestyle changes.
For example, losing weight, increasing your physical activity, eating healthier foods, quitting smoking, developing supportive relationships are all things that can help to lower your cholesterol and increase your overall health.
Are you using some of these ways to lower cholesterol naturally? Let me know in the comments!
Photo credit: JeepersMedia via Visualhunt.com / CC BY
Photo credit: Steven Jackson Photography via Visual hunt / CC BY
Kare. As soon as I can my sisters and I all want to try purple rice. I the meantime two products that have saved my life as a shade tic are Berberine – found in Glucosolve, and. Product called Glucocil which contains fish oil , mulberry leaf and a multitude of other items that are known to help with sugar control. They lower insulin resistance and have helped me on all fronts.
Niacin tablet can help as well…Take one tablet of 500mg/day
MY Cholesterol count STEEPLY declined when I began a regimine of eating Oatmeal every morning, as follows: 1. Sprinkle bottom of glass cereal bowl with one shake of salt and two shakes of cinnamon, 2. Add 1/2 c Oats 3. Add 1 cup water. 3. Microwave on high for 3 min 25 seconds. 4. Drizzle with honey, 5. Add Trader Joe unsweetened, Vanilla Almondmilk (non-dairy, LOW cal) and (optional) blueberries. I did this EVERY DAY for a month and my cholesterol dropped amazingly. (Plus, I lost four pounds)
Tery—Can I use instant oatmeal?
Be careful with the Niacin Rush if you overdo it! Scared me to death but wasn’t harmful.
I went on the Karen Hurd bean diet. 1/2 c. beans, lean meat (3-4 oz) .,1/2 c.cooked veg. lunch and supper. Breakfast 2 eggs and 1/2 c. beans the first 3mos., I lost 20 # then the holidays came and I gained back 10#. My cholesterol went from 330 to 130. Now for 6mos., I have been on turmeric capsules (1,000 mg. ) ,Lemon juice, cinnamon in water,Ginger ,all anti-inflammatory foods. No dairy, flour, coffee tea or pop. I drink 3 qt. of well water a day. Hot water with lemon or lime, some LaCroix water. I was on 10 mg. of crestor, and now on 5mg. and my total chol. is 114. when I went off meds a few yrs. ago, I had a total chol. of 560 and trygl. of almost 600. I have plaque build up in the arteries around my heart and in my legs, so I can’t afford to not be on statins. I also have osteo arthritis,fibro myalgia,spinal stenosis,low thyroid, and depression. I am currently slowly getting off paxil. I also take 500mg. of cayenne pepper capsules, for my sinusitis (also it is an anti-inflammatory) Never could walk much or exercise because I would get sick. Now I am running up and down my basement stairs and starting to walk. The Tumeric made a deffinate difference ! I don’t eat much fruit as I am sensitive to too much of any sugar. I do eat 1 tsp. of buckwheat honey in my apple cider vinegar. My stomach prob. are gone. ( No more tums ). You really are what you eat !!!!!!
I just started using Turmeric, I love broccoli and beets so will have to eat more of those. I have tried Apple cider vinegar but have a hard time drinking it.
Don’t use apple cidar vinegar. Vinegar actually makes your body acidic. Its bad for your gut health.
Avoid cow’s milk products, refined sugar and carbohydrates, and other acid forming foods and eat a whole foods plant based diet if you want to have healthy cholesterol levels. Specific nutrients can also improve your cholesterol levels like Omega-3 fatty acids, Niacin or Inositol Hexanicotinate, Pantethine, Grape Seed Extract, Trans-Resveratrol, Amla Berry, Magnesium, Chromium, and Copper.
That’s the first time I’ve heard anything bad about apple cider vinegar!
Red Yeast Rice isn’t good for you. Similar to statin drugs it will lower your levels of CoEnzyme Q10 which the body needs to produce cellular energy.
I am using red rice yeast capsules since first of year when I went back to doctor my cholesterol had went down from 258 to 208 in three months.
Thanks Margaret. I will try. I am so frustrated. I eat well, weight 125. My levels, doctors said, was like butter running threw my veins. I really do not want to take statins.
My sister told me about grapefruit juice. I refuse to take a statin, because off side effects. Worked for her so I tried it and worked for me, also. Drink about 6 oz a day.
Hi Kare!
I have been taking the Purple Rice now for about 3 months. My first concern is my cholesterol which has been very high for the past few years. Like you my doctor also wanted me to take a statin but I refused! I am going for my annual check up in the beginning of July and cannot wait to see what my blood work comes back with!
I have noticed my skin is very soft now and my hair is growing faster and seems thicker!
I am a very healthy eater and exercise daily so I am really hoping this will be the answer for my cholesterol problem! I am in my 60’s
now and am happy a friend introduced me to the product!
I will let you know in July! Thanks!
Tricia
Where can you get purple rice?
bgbatts1@comcast.net
nanny697174@yahoo.com
We’re you get purple rice?
I would like to know how to make the tea with turmeric.
I don’t see where you got an answer. I was wanting to hear too. I will give you the one I found on a different site. 1/3 cup of honey. Mix in 2 1/2 teaspoon of dried turmeric. I use the organic that I found at Walmart. A few sprinkles of black pepper. Make a paste of this. Use a teaspoon of this to a cup of hot water, or you can mix it with milk. You can drink this at bedtime to help sleep, if you wish.
I don’t see organic oatmeal on this list. I have eaten 1/2 cup each morning and have lowered my total cholesterol 20 points in 8 months.
Where can you bbuy purple rice plz
How many servings do you get with one bottle of purple rice powder?
My doctor wanted to put me on a statin and I asked for 8 months to lower it with diet and exercise. I started walking and took a good brand of fish oil and lowered my choloesterol 43 points! I do not need to be on a statin!
How much fish oil should i take
I love the purple rice!!! You can order it online from Kare or call her!
It’s great and I lowered my triglycerides from 1860 to 780 and it’s now down in the 300’s! I’ve been taking the purple rice capsules for the last couple of years!!
Is the purple rice powder 100% pure?
What is Polysaccharide sugar? Is it safe or healthy?
I have heard lots of bad stuff about saccharine .
My husband and I simply eat a mixture of old-fashioned & steel-cut oatmeal and muesli every morning for the past 10 years and our cholesterol levels have always been low (normal). When we went on vacation recently and visited both sides of our families, we were surprised to know that most of them were struggling with their cholesterol. None of them ate oatmeal regularly like us,
Where do you get purple rice? Grocery store or health food store?
I’ve been on statins for several years and the side effects of muscle pain is more than I can take. I need help and relief . The above regime sounds interesting and I would like to know more. Thank you !
Statins can affect muscle enzymes. Stop if you are having pain. People can end up in hospital because of it.
I have inherited high cholesterol and have brought my LDL and LDL particle counts down to a safe level buy eating a plant-based, whole foods diet. That means no animal products which is a lot easier to do than it sounds once you get used to it. It is well worth it. Added benefits are that you will lose weight without any effort and never have to go hungry. It is not how much you eat it is what you eat. Information by Dr. Neal D. Barnard and Dr. Dean Michael Ornish has been very helpful. (If you have never heard of inherited high cholesterol look up Familial Hypercholesterolemia on line.)
Blueberries have been very effective in lowering cholesterol for me. I eat a cup per day…raw.