Trying to lower cholesterol naturally

Do you use the actual flaxseeds or flaxseed oil?

Hi All,

I am trying to lower my bad cholesterol and increase my good one by weight loss and exercise (I follow the paleo diet). My lipid panel results are not good but that might be due to my PCOS and IR as well. I'd appreciate any advice. As I know, eating fish is the best way to fix cholesterol levels but we never had fish at home and I could never get used to its taste as an adult. I make it at home for family members but if I eat from it, I always get sick. I was wondering if it's OK to take Omega-3 and multivitamin supplements among others instead of eating fish if I follow the paleo diet or will I miss something by not consuming any fish ever? What else could I do for my health?

I wish good luck to all of you with your fitness goals!

It's due to PCOS, IR, and your diet combined. How high was your cholesterol? For PCOS and IR, you only have to lower the amount of carbs you eat, you don't have to substitute carbs for fat. You could essentially be just trading one bad condition for another. Are you eating a high fat diet rich in whole eggs, red meat, and bacon? That would most likely be your primary problem.

I'm IR and traded carbs for fat, ending up with 261LDL and 338 total cholesterol due to eating so much red meat, bacon, and whole eggs. Chicken salads with no dressing for most meals is what I do now. If you want to be extreme, chicken salads for one full day and eat carbs the next day to get closer to your maintence. Basically alternate.

Increase your fiber, especially from whole-grain sources. Oatmeal is good for cholesterol, especially if you pair it with vitamin C (found in many fruits and vegetables, well-known in citrus.)

Fish + garlic is a great combo for regulating cholesterol levels, though I understand if you don't like fish. You could try making your own healthy Caesar dressing with anchovies, lemon, garlic, mustard, and olive oil--there's very little "fishy" taste, the anchovies just add some depth/savory flavor to the dressing.

I just started using ground flaxseed in cooking. Add it to any other flour, sprinkle on cereal, etc. I also use flaxseed oil in salad dressing.

Cholesterol and LDL levels are only secondary indicators of heart disease risk. A carotid artery ultrasound read by an experienced physician is one of the best ways of determining the real health of your arteries. I have good LDL numbers and good triglyceride levels, but still had some plaque accumulating. And I avoid high glycemic foods, which can also lead to plaque. My doctor suggested I use a concentrated oat bran from a website called Heart Healthy Solution to lower my LDLs ever more and carotid testing a year later showed that it fixed my plaque problem. Fish oil helps mostly with triglyceride levels and does little for LDLs. And sensible consumption of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat does not affect long-term blood cholesterol levels in most people. Exercise is a great way to improve blood cholesterol balance.

Stay away from processed sugars and flours. They bump up blood sugar levels which spurs your liver to create cholesterol.

Or just have a glass of wine.

Coconut oil is high in good saturated fats which can help lower bad cholesterol. Also the omega fatty acids but don't bother taking Omega 9. Just Omegas 3 + 6, because those two together make 9. CoQ10 is supposed to contribute to lowering cholesterol & blood pressure and increase heart and brain function.