Feline Butcher Lowers Cholesterol Without Statins In Ten Easy Ways

If you take statins to lower your cholesterol, you might want to reconsider and opt for a more organic approach. New medical guidelines are forcing people to take statins even with mild cholesterol problems. Feline Kondula Butcher believes hammering down on cholesterol with lifestyle changes can give more satisfying and lasting results. Here's her ten easy ways to lower cholesterol naturally.

10. Get a Grip on Your Diet

I know, it's easier said than done. However, that is how the cookie crumbles. Ummm....I mean plants. You must start thinking more plant based foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, together with meat substitutes such as beans. But, don't forget to treat yourself to a cookie once in a while.

9. Pop Some Plant Sterol Supplements

Plant sterols or sometimes referred to plant stanols are cholesterol's plant cousin. When you consume enough amounts of plant sterols, you can actually prevent the small intestines from absorbing human cholesterol. There are some margarines out there that have plant sterols, but they can contain some nasty chemicals too. So, its best to stick with a two gram daily plant sterol supplement.

8. Chow Down on Oatmeal

Prepare a bowl of oatmeal in the morning to start your day right. Oatmeal is the best food that fights against cholesterol. Oatmeal has soluble fiber, which becomes a gel form substance in the body. This helps you to feel full and butts in between you and cholesterol to sweep it out of your body.

7. Get your Beauty Sleep - 8 to 10 hours of it

If you are deprived of sleep, you could be increasing your LDL cholesterol - a.k.a the "bad" cholesterol. So getting your ZZZZZZs, about 8-10 hours of them, are important.

6. Vitamin D

Having a stable vitamin D level is vital for well-being. High cholesterol is linked to vitamin D deficiency. When we mature, our bodies' ability to synthesize vitamin D from the sun lessens. Check out your vitamin D levels with a blood test. If you find out they are low, take a daily vitamin D supplement.

5. Check your Blood Sugar Levels

Your fasting blood sugar levels should be at a level of 100 or less. When your blood glucose levels are too high, it can lead to high LDL cholesterol and elevated triglycerides, which is a deadly blood fat that is remains of cholesterol.

4. Reduce your Gluten Intake

Feline Butcher suggests having a gluten free diet, since wheat based products point towards obesity. Also, foods high in gluten can cause inflammation, which has been proven to be more harmful to the heart than cholesterol. If you are craving a wheat fix, make it whole grains.

3. Exercise

Exercising for an hour a day, can keep the cholesterol away. You don't have to go all Jillian Michaels, just a brisk one hour walk can help to lower cholesterol, high blood pressure and promote blood flow.

2. Red Yeast Rice

Red Yeast Rice is a traditional Chinese medicine. What's so great about Red Yeast Rice is it has the same active ingredient as a statin drug.

1. Yummy Cinnamon

Sprinkling some cinnamon on your food can help. Adding ½ tablespoon of cinnamon a day to your diet can reduce your cholesterol by 26 percent. So dust everything you eat with cinnamon to keep your heart healthy.