Wouldn’t you be excited to make a product line that brought in a cool 15 billion pounds a year? Wouldn’t it be even more exhilarating if that particular pile of cash was set to rise year by year? This is not the stuff of fiction – these staggering facts apply to the production and sale of “cholesterol reducing” drugs -statins – despite the fact that there are many natural ways to lower blood cholesterol.
These facts strongly suggest that it is in the vested interest of pharmaceutical companies to perpetuate and further promote the largely unnecessary use of statins throughout the world.
Statins – the answer to all our prayers?
Statins have been hailed as the wonder drug for tackling the escalating problem of high blood cholesterol, particularly in Western society.
This, in itself, is evidence of the attitude of modern-day medicine which buys into the idea that every symptom or even the faintest trace of disease requires a pharmaceutical solution to deal with it.
However, big pharma lies deflect attention away from the unpleasant side effects of statins and the startlingly obvious fact that there are numerous natural ways to lower blood cholesterol – by taking small and easy life-style changes, most people can control their cholesterol levels by natural means and without the need for relying on these toxic products.
What is cholesterol and why is it important?
Cholesterol is a type of fat, produced by the liver. It circulates within blood to be transported to where it is needed within the body.
Cholesterol is essential to life and serves a number of vital functions including:
• Forming an integral part of the bilipid cell membrane of all cells within the body
• It is essential for the production of many vital hormones
• It assists in the production of Vitamin D
• It plays an important role in healthy digestion
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, when present in excess, is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is often referred to as “good” cholesterol because it can reduce blood levels of LDL by transporting it back to the liver where it is broken down.
Important points to consider are:
• Cholesterol becomes a health issue only when it is present in the blood in excess.
• Excessive levels of cholesterol in the blood are not caused by normal function of the liver
• Excessive levels of cholesterol are caused by dietary intake
How do statins control blood cholesterol?
Statins act by inhibiting liver enzymes responsible for cholesterol production – yet another example of pharmaceuticals being used to alter bodily function without addressing the actual cause of the problem – in this case, dietary.
What are the natural ways to lower blood cholesterol?
There are a number of natural ways to lower blood cholesterol and to maintain a healthy level. My suggestion is to gradually introduce these into your daily routine – don’t try to achieve these all at once! Consider these measures to be positive new habits that will ensure a healthier and more enjoyable future:
1. Read nutrition labels to avoid harmful trans-fats which contribute to raising blood LDL-cholesterol levels while reducing HDL-cholesterol levels. Trans-fats are found in partially hydrogenated oils that are solid at room temperature. When reading food ingredient labels look for any type of “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”. These are typically found in processed foods so you may consider eliminating these.
2. Increase your soluble fibre intake. Soluble fibre helps remove cholesterol in your gut before it reaches your bloodstream – and assists in lowering LDL-cholesterol levels. Foods rich in soluble fibre include oats, barley, quinoa, wholegrain bread, kidney beans, lentils and chickpeas.
3. Increase your intake of healthy unsaturated fats and fibre by snacking on fruits, vegetables and nuts. Great examples of these are avocados, apples, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, grapes, olives, peas, broccoli, carrots, aubergine, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews and pistachios. Snacking on these healthy raw foods will eliminate processed snacks which are high in trans-fats and saturated fats. Raw nuts are particularly good as they are high in unsaturated fats which raise your good HDL.
4. Replace butter and margarine with healthier oils – particularly with cooking, baking or pan frying. It is important to eliminate solid fats wherever possible as these are high in trans-fats and saturated (unhealthy) fats whereas oils are high in unsaturated fats. Good examples of such oils are olive oil, sunflower oil or rapeseed oil.
5. Ideally eliminate meat from your diet or if not practicable select meats with less saturated fat such as chicken or fish. Red meats in particular, should be avoided as they carry high levels of saturated fat that will result in raised LDL-cholesterol levels. Fish is particularly low in saturated fats, and many contain significant levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which will be of benefit to your heart health and can raise your HDL-cholesterol levels. Examples of such fish include salmon, mackerel and tuna.
6. Replacing dairy products with healthy alternatives. Dairy is particularly bad for maintenance of healthy cholesterol levels as it contains both saturated fats and cholesterol. An example of a great substitute is soy milk. Try it – you may be surprised!
7. Pay particular attention to the way you prepare food. Try to avoid frying which will add unwanted fat and instead focus on steaming, baking, poaching or grilling.
8. Try increasing the number of vegetarian meals you prepare. This is a wonderful way of achieving multiple cholesterol lowering goals in one hit – vegetables are rich in healthy fats and fibre.
9. Lose any excess weight and stop smoking. Losing weight will promote a lowering of (bad) LDL-cholesterol and quitting smoking will raise blood levels of (good) HDL-cholesterol.
10. Try to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine. This will raise levels of (good) HDL cholesterol, managing blood pressure levels and a host of other heart-healthy benefits. Ideally, aim for at least 2.5 hours (150 minutes) of moderate physical activity every week. That can be broken up however you like.
Incorporating an increasing number of the above steps into your daily routine will keep you naturally healthy, particularly with regard to cardiovascular health and healthy levels of blood cholesterol. This will keep you free of the expense and harm of pharmaceuticals.
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“TO BE TRULY FREE – BE PHARMA FREE”