How to Reduce Cholesterol Without Medication Naturally

Knowing how to reduce cholesterol without medication can help you sidestep the potential side effects of medicines. Before knowing how to lower cholesterol naturally without medication, you need to understand what cholesterol is and why it is important.

Cholesterol is a lipid molecule and is of two main types, HDL and LDL. High-Density Lipoprotein is the beneficial type that maintains your heart health. On the other hand, Low-Density Lipoprotein has a negative effect on your body if the levels are higher than the normal range. Generally, for good and bad cholesterol, the normal range is no less than 40-50 mg/dL, depending on the gender, for the former and no more than 130 mg/dL for the latter [1].

Can Cholesterol Go Down Naturally?

Yes, you can lower cholesterol without medication. However, it requires discipline because you must follow a strict diet with reduced saturated and trans fats. And most of your favorite foods, including fast foods, red meat, and dairy, contain unwanted fats. You must also exercise regularly to reduce LDLs and increase HDLs, which could be challenging in the beginning.

How To Reduce Cholesterol Without Medication

1. Switch to a Healthy Diet 

If you’re wondering how to reduce cholesterol without medication, simply follow a balanced diet with green vegetables and fruits that are rich in soluble fibers. Prepare vegetable curries with beans, lentils, sprouts, and fruit salads or smoothies with apples and pears.

Skip adding sugar to your meals as excess sugar can stimulate more LDL in your blood. Add salmon or mackerel, flax seeds, and walnuts to your meals too.

2. Reduce Saturated Fat

When doctors are asked how to reduce cholesterol without medication, they generally advise patients to control their fat intake. This means you should cut down on saturated fats in your meaty meals and high-fat dairy items. In addition to saturated fats, trans fats increase blood cholesterol levels.

This is found in margarine, processed vegetable oils, and cakes with preservatives in them [2]. Removing these types of fat from your daily diet can help you get healthier and lose weight too!

3. Excercise Regularly

In your quest to learn how to lower cholesterol Level naturally without medication, don’t forget the importance of a regular routine of exercises. This improves your HDL levels effectively too! Switch to cardio exercises with normal activities like brisk walking, jogging, and swimming.

Doing these activities in regular intervals can help you get high levels to the normal cholesterol range, enhance your heart health, and shed kilos. Trying to do more physical activity in your daily life can also help, such as going on walks during breaks and doing daily chores.

4. Hydrate Your Body

Something that is often forgotten when discussing how to lower cholesterol without drugs is the importance of water. Drink more water to maintain your body’s metabolism and cut down on weight gradually. Hydrating yourself is also important if you do regular exercises.

Substitute those sugary energy drinks or beverages and drink water instead. When you hydrate before having your meals, you tend to eat less too! What’s more, water helps to process fat and carbs in your meals, which reduces cholesterol.

5. Decrease Your Alcohol Intake

Your liver tends to form more cholesterol when you consume alcohol. With more alcohol intake, your risk of heart disease also increases. This can also increase your blood pressure and lead to weight gain. These facts are essential to know how to reduce cholesterol without medication.

Make small changes to reduce how much alcohol you have by drinking more water, adding green tea to your diet, and trying out healthy snacks instead. To control your cravings for alcohol, have something sweet but without added sugar, such as a banana shake or dark chocolate.

6. Cut Down On Your Smoking Habit

You may want to quit smoking if you are concerned about your high cholesterol levels. It lowers your HDL levels, helping you bring your test results to the normal cholesterol range. Remember, you may have more chances of experiencing heart attacks and strokes due to your smoking habit. Control it, and you will be able to see more HDL in your blood as a result [3]!

7. Manage Your Stress 

The most important tactic you should know when learning how to reduce cholesterol without medication is better to stress management. At the same time, you are stressed, and your body releases cortisol hormone as a response. This can trigger the production of bad cholesterol in your blood.

Adrenaline is another hormone that is produced to help you deal with your stress. The high levels of these hormones increase the levels of triglycerides, influencing the rise of blood cholesterol. Try a variety of hobbies that help you feel calm and happy, practice yoga and meditation, maintain a journal, or play with your pets to reduce the stress in your life.

8. Get more omega 3

Omega-3 fatty acids or omega-3s do not reduce cholesterol; however, they will help you heal the inflammation caused by trans fats. A major source of omega-3 is oily fish, including salmon or tuna. However, you can also get omega-3 from vegetarian sources like flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts.

9. Stick to a Sleep Schedule

Sleep is essential for recovery and fat burning. Any damage due to cholesterol may only get repaired if you get consistent sleep. Ensure you do not indulge in stimulating activities, including using computers before bed. Sleeping in a dark room may also improve sleep quality. 

10. Check Your Family History

Look for relatives who have heart problems or died from heart-related causes. Understanding your family's medical history can help you realise the seriousness and motivate you to live a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, certain heart diseases are more common in your family than others. This information will help your doctor while prescribing medications. 

11. Eliminate Trans fat

You read about burning fat to reduce cholesterol and be healthy. However, trans fats are more dangerous as they increase cholesterol and cause inflammation in arteries. This inflammation can cause arteries to rupture or fail. Therefore, eliminate trans fat; all fast foods contain trans fats, including biscuits, microwave popcorn, French fries, frozen pizza, etc. 

Why Do You Want to Lower Cholesterol Without Medication

What is the problem with reducing cholesterol with medication? The answer is side effects. For example, statins are a type of cholesterol-controlling medication. And they might induce muscle pain, fatigue, dizziness, poor digestion, and low platelets. Moreover, statins also pose a risk of developing certain conditions, including type 2 diabetes. 

Conclusion

In India, around 25-30% of the urban and 15-20% of the rural population have high cholesterol. Although this is less than in some high-income countries, cholesterol levels have increased in India, more specifically in the urban population. As a result, it becomes important to not just know about the risks of high cholesterol but also the cause of high cholesterol and the safety measures to reduce it. Age, obesity, and inherited genes are a few of the major causes that lead to high LDL levels in your blood. Controlling the effects of these factors with the above-mentioned tips can guide you on how to reduce cholesterol without medication.

It is important to remember that high cholesterol doesn’t show any external signs that can alert you to check blood cholesterol levels. So, go for a cholesterol test frequently to ensure your results match the normal range of cholesterol levels by age and get a doctor's consultation when needed. You can book both lab tests and teleconsultations with a specialist, be it a general doctor, an endocrinologist, or a cardiologist, in seconds on the Bajaj Finserv Health platform. You can also get discounts here and can track your cholesterol levels with ease. Now that you know how to lower cholesterol naturally without medication take proactive measures and stay healthy!