Ways To Lower Cholesterol

If your cholesterol is high your doctor may describe one of the statin drugs like Lipitor.  But before you jump on the Lipitor bandwagon you should know some of the dangers of statin drugs and know other ways to lower cholesterol.

One common mistake is that when you take a statin drug you loose the urgency of being proactive in lowering your cholesterol.  If a drug is lowering your cholesterol without you having to worry about fatty foods you tend to stop worrying.

Statins also limit the production of CoQ10 which is an major energy source for your heart and the electrons so if you are taking statin drugs you need to make sure that you are supplementing with CoQ10.

Stain drugs can also cause liver problems in a small percentage of users.  They can also cause a serious side effect which causes severe muscle aches and flu like symptoms.

If you would prefer ways to lower cholesterol more naturally here are some suggestions.  Let’s start with exercise.  It’s key to reducing bad cholesterol and most of us simply don’t get enough physical activities these days.

We sit at our desk or stand at our job all day and then we come home and give our thumb a work out while playing couch potato.  Only 30 minutes of exercise every day can make all the difference.

Next you need to reduce the amount of saturated fats you eat which means no more than 6 ounces of red meat per day and preferably less.  Eat lots of skinless chicken or turkey, and fish.  Buy lean meat cuts and remove any excess fats.

Increase the amount of fiber in your diet. And eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day.  Replace bad oils with good oils like olive oil.  Eliminate processed food from your diet including baked goods that are pre-made and are often high in trans fats which the body is unable to process. 

Processed foods are often high in fats and they are almost always high in preservatives.  You need to start to read labels and reduce the amount of processed and packaged foods you eat.

You need to also try to avoid eating out and especially at fast food restaurants.  Always make sure you know what you are eating and what the saturated fat content is.

These are some great ways to reduce your cholesterol levels, specifically your bad cholesterol.  That said sometimes we need help and your doctor will prescribe one of the statin drugs like Lipitor.  Be sure you take it as prescribed as it can be a life saving drug. You can continue to work towards lowering your LDL and eventually you make be able to stop taking your statin drug but only if your doctor says so after running cholesterol tests. 

Hopefully if you get busy and use these ways to lower cholesterol you will never need to take medication but at least its there if you need it.