The Healthy Traveler: Reducing High Cholesterol Naturally

Yes, I’ve got somewhat high cholesterol in spite of being generally healthy otherwise.  It’s a thorn in my side as I get older and I have to pay close attention to lowering it, along with millions of others with the same problem.  Cholesterol is not the monster we think it is.  Our bodies produce it every day.  It’s so important that if we don’t get enough from our food intake, our liver manufactures it.  It’s not the cholesterol in our cells we have to worry about, but when levels of cholesterol get high in our blood, that’s when it can clog arteries and strain our hearts.  Over time the cholesterol in our arteries forms plaque.  Lowering cholesterol may also slow down, reduce, or even stop plaque from building up. 

I don’t like nor do I take medications.  Not even to lower my cholesterol.  I personally can’t envision taking a pill for the rest of my life that has serious side effects.  So I’m researching natural healing and have found a few things that are extremely helpful and easy to do to lower my cholesterol.  Oatmeal, for one.  A friend just turned us on to steel cut oats.  Steel cut oats are oats seed that have been chopped into pieces.  The benefits exceed any rolled or instant oatmeals on the market today.  It’s full of fiber, helps to reduce LDL (the bad kind), helps to increase HDL (the good kind), has lots of protein, and tastes great!  Fiber is key because roughage speeds up the body’s ability to eliminate cholesterol.  

We buy steel cut oats in bulk – it’s very inexpensive.  I’ll take several cups and soak it overnight in water for easier cooking during the week, storing what I don’t use in a bowl or a jar with a lid in the refrigerator.   While it’s cooking, I’ll add a handful of craisins (yum!) and about a dozen almonds that I cut into pieces, which makes for a complete nutritional delicious breakfast that stays with me all morning.  

So I’ve dedicated myself to eating it for breakfast 3-4 times a week for 60 days when I’ll have my bloodwork re-done to see much my cholesterol has improved.  I know it’s only one piece of the puzzle, so I’ll be re-visiting the subject of cholesterol over the upcoming months.  There’s much more than can be done naturally to improve it, and that’s my mission.  Another side effect is that it also helps to lower health insurance premiums.   Saving money is good, especially these days.  Does anyone have any suggestions of their own to lower cholesterol?

Healthy Traveler