Today’s post is a special request for an old family friend, who’s watched me grow from the little tomboy that could into the big tomboy that could, with a side of stubborn, an extra large pinch of city hippy and dash of vanilla gorilla. I’m really quite the mutt, minus the dog part because I wouldn’t want to insult my felines; they might harm me while I sleep. I put nothing past them.
Yeah, I’m not the one with my hands folded gracefully in my lap.
Sadly today’s focus is not on my canine abilities. Instead, we’re going to talk about my other favorite topic: the healing power of food. I know it sounds like a bunch of hocus pocus, or at least it did to me five years ago. It’s not though and before you go raising a sketchy eyebrow or two, get those things manicured. Just kidding, although I would urge you to think about it. Case in point: we’ve used ginger for centuries to help fight nausea and vomiting and people chug cranberry juice like it’s going out of style when UTI’s are involved. There’s a reason for it.
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A brief word: I am not against modern medicine. We have advanced as a society for a reason and considering the Hubby is a budding young pharmacist, I happen to believe in the power of legal drugs and perhaps even some non-legal ones, depending on which state you live in. Popping pills, when used appropriately, can be life saving and the only known option for some. That being said, if there’s something we can do, independent of, or in addition to, taking medications with laundry lists of side effects larger than my own To Do Lists, we should give it a shot.
Back to the purpose of this post. A near and dear family friend asked me to write about Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol and since I have no medical degree and therefore no qualifications to talk about this, I thought I’d do it anyway. Side note: if you have high cholesterol, consult your physician.
If it helps, I, once upon a time, had high cholesterol. The doctor’s advice was to switch to low-fat cheese and skim milk. I got a different doctor.
Mary Clair, this one’s for you.
Pretty necklace. Filthy shorts. You can dress me up, but you can’t take the tomboy outta me.
Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol 1
- Exercise, exercise, exercise. you don’t have to go out and complete a Tough Mudder; a brisk and daily walk can do wonders. Don’t rule out monkey loving either. Provided your partner has enough stamina to last longer than thirty seconds, it’s a win for all involved.
- Stop smoking. That shit will ruin you and age you faster than you can say Abracadabra. Take it from me, I have a boatload of lines around my mouth which scream regret.
- Get your fill of Omega 3 Fatty Acids or better yet Get Fishy With It. The benefits of fish are astronomical, although if it’s not in your wheelhouse, you can up your intake of Flax Seeds. I add a heaping scoop of flax powder to my near daily smoothies.
- Go Nuts. Oh how I’ve longer to hear that phrase. Just kidding; sort of. Consumption of almonds and walnuts can bring moderate reductions in your cholesterol.
Did you know all of my Granola Recipes are chock full of nuts, oats, the benefits of which will be explained a wee bit later, and flax powder. Henceforth from this moment forward, I deem my granola a bowl of cholesterol reducing prowess. Me-Yow.
- Pick unsaturated fats more often than its counterpart. Some examples of foods rich in unsaturated fats are avocados, olives, nut butters, seeds, and oils. While butter will always have a role in my life, I do the vast majority of my cooking with olive oil.
- Eat fiber filled foods. Not only do these help make you feel fuller longer, they keep your colon clean, and if you want to get all scientific about it, once consumed, soluble fiber attracts water and forms a gel-like consistency in your stomach, which helps block the absorption of cholesterol. 2
Let’s talk a little bit more about foods high in soluble fiber, because they’re my specialty. In all seriousness, I bet you could eat off my colon it’s so damn clean. Five second rule.
High Soluble Fiber Filled Foods 3
- Legumes and Beans, Beans, Beans. I’d prefer to sing an immature song to express my ever-loving beany delight (it’s a thing), but I shall save your eardrums. Instead, I will simply suggest a bowl of sassy and spicy Three Bean Chili, a Bean Medley Salad, or my absolute favorite Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers.
- Fruit Does a Body Good: as if we need a reason to ingest more whole fruits. It’s sweet and lovely, like nectar from the gods. Pears, in particular, are full of fibery goodness and just about ready to pop, so get your pear on this Fall. Make a Pear Salad, toss them into some Pasta or use them to top your Pizza. I bet you’ll never look at pears the same again.
- Oats: have you heard my granola is a bowl of cholesterol reducing prowess? You need to get on that.
- Eat. Yo. Veggies. For real, these gems are packed with fiber, especially artichokes, although you really can’t go wrong with any veggies.
Side note: do not fear the ‘choke. In fact, when done properly, they’re orbs of magical, flavor-filled, delight and one of my favorites. Need some examples?
How about a bowl of Stuffed Artichoke Soup with Brown Rice and Asiago?
Or maybe I could interest you in a Greek Quiche, packed with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and feta cheese.
Or a straight up pictorial on Whole Artichokes?
Or a layered Fattoush Dip, complete with artichokes, olives, tomatoes, feta and hummus.
- Whole Wheat and Whole Grains. Yes, I am offering you bread and pasta. It really doesn’t get much better.
I serve my Ratatouille atop a bed of whole wheat penne, which makes it a cholesterol reducing machine. It also tastes like pure heaven or else I wouldn’t eat it.
Another one of my favorite pasta dishes is this spaghetti, with a boatload of sautéed garlic and feta cheese. Did I mention it’s incredible easy to make and a great use for your last lingering tomatoes?
The point of all this is really quite simple. Instead of focusing on eliminating things from your diet, there are foods you can incorporate to improve your health. They also happen to be edibles I happily ingest, by choice, on a daily basis. That’s winning in my book.
By the way, my cholesterol is better than ever, and my love affair with cheese is still going strong.
Tell me about your favorite cholesterol reducing foods. Was this post helpful for you, or was it information you already knew? If it’s the latter, please let me know. I recognize a portion of my audience is the HLB community, so I may be preaching to the choir and since I’m thinking about making this a series of sorts (Homeopathic Foods), your feedback is appreciated. Heck, your feedback is always appreciated.
Great post! I bet you can put a whole range of health claims on your granola! 🙂
Yes, I should start calling my granola a super food. 😉
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
Hey if Cheerios can get a whole series of commercials on how they reduce your cholesterol I think your granola deserves all the horn tooting it can get 🙂
I think a series on the farm-acy (that picture is one of my favorites) would be awesome and I would love to hear more on the why certain foods are good for you. We preach to the choir all the time in the HLB community but that doesn’t mean it’s not awesome to hear!
Sarah Pie recently posted…Why dance parties can be good for your health
I agree. Maybe I should contact General Mills or the FDA and see about getting labels for my granola.
Duly noted; thanks for the feedback. It’s much appreciated.
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
bahaha, so true! You could be a more effective commercial any ways! no singing Bee included.
I could be the singing Bee…..bbzzzzzzz.
Meghan recently posted…Random Ramblings and Senseless Mutterings
I think it goes without saying that oats will always and forever be my favourite cholesterol reducing food <3 And I also think it goes without saying that I think it's an awesome idea to make this into a series, because even if we "know" something, it never hurts to hear it again and again, because sometimes it doesn't really sink in the first couple of times. Also… I love how you included recipes so that people can put the advice into practice. Nice touch 🙂
Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted…. WIAW… the tastiest season of the year .
Thanks Sunshine. I included the recipes because it’s put the info right into practical use. Plus, food. Yum.
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
As someone who will always propagate the healing power of food over medicines, I absolutely adore this post…you hit the nail on the head, friend! Popping pills only mask the issue whereas food really cures the root of the problem. As for cholesterol. I truly believe that lifestyle changes, as you outlined above, are the most effective ways to bring down LDL levels! Some of my favorite cholesterol-reducing foods include oats, nuts & nut butter, avocados, eggs and bread made from whole grains!
Khushboo recently posted…Ways to alkalize your body
You are 100% right about eggs. They are not the cholesterol devils people once thought. In fact, they can be good for your cholesterol, along with a daily glass of red wine. I’ll drink to that.
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
Yesss I love you so! Can you do an anti-inflammatory foods one next? The internet needs a good one! <3
Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday #192: link party + a giveaway!
I can do that. Thanks for the request. I very much appreciate it. 🙂
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
You know I agree with you! While medications are sometimes unavoidable and necessary for certain things, the power of food is totally underrated and not spoken about enough. All the doctors do is tell patience “lose weight” and what they need to “not eat” rather than explain what they CAN EAT AND SHOULD EAT to feel better and make their blood all happy. If society could just grasp this concept, realize that nutrient dense foods actually taste real good and that the focus is not on calories but on quality, everyone would be that much healthier and probably thinner too.
meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday Fun
Yes, we need to make food the solution instead of the problem!! I’m right there with you.
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
Omg!!! You looked so cute!!!!! I love these kind of pics. Specially with the collar but dirty trousers. Classic!!!
I can’t believe u were a smoker, I was too. Not anymore thank god!!
Beautiful display of food. I want to taste it all!! nOW!!! Jajaja Lucky me i already tasted that amazing coconut granola loved it!!!!
I was a huge smoker. Pack a day habit for years! I’m so glad to be done with it though.
I’m so glad you loved the granola! That makes my day to hear that stuff.
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
I actually really enjoyed this post and pinned numerous recipes from it. I feel like I’ve been in a healthy eating slump the last month or so and need a big ole boot kicking my ass to get back on the train. I just got tired of all my old recipes and felt like I didn’t have time to get all over any new ones.
So – THANK YOU. I think you should make this a series. I have low cholesterol AND blood pressure (so low they keep asking me if I’m alive when I get a checkup) so I eat butter and salt until I go to the doctor and he tells me to stop. But until that time? I’m the poster child for butter. And salt. I love salt.
Oh, and that fatoush dip is the SHIT. I’ve had that multiple times and it is so good…
I love salt and butter too and it’s wonderful they’re great companions to veggies. If you lived in the area, I’d make you all this food and give you a nice boot to the ass. 🙂
A-Men to the Fattoush Dip. It’s incredible!
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
So, I DID already know these things, BUT I think your idea of homeopathic food posts are GREAT! I geek out over this stuff, it’s what I’m going back to school for after all! I am a sucker for natural medicine, and by that I mean food medicine. I often call it the “hippie dippy shit” when describing holistic nutrition to those that ask what I am going to school for, and while they look at me like I am crazy I know that in time more people will be on board with this!! YOU ROCK!
Brittany recently posted…Post Vacation Shenanigans
Thanks sunshine. Homeopathic food is where it’s at for me and has been for the last five years. It’s actually how I got into this whole healthy eating stuff. Remind me to tell you my backstory off line sometime. It makes for an interesting tale.
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
I need you in my life. I don’t think I have high cholesterol, but I need ALL THIS FOOD!!
I totally appreciate posts like this, cause I think it’s never wrong to hear these things again and again. Instead of always thinking ‘I want to get leaner’, it would be good to just focus on healthy.
I see a thought-bubble on this second pic of little you (ADORABLE btw): ‘You are a nice little friend, but now GO out of the way here, my catwalk is waiting for me, dammit.’
Lucie@FitSwissChick recently posted…Don’t leave me hungry – WIAW#77
Seeing as how your picture captions are some of my absolute favorites, I’d do well to listen to you.
Also if you come to Cleveland, I will feed you all this food and then some.
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
There is a reason why your granola is by far my favourite of any recipe I’ve seen- you can actually taste the nuts and have a good nut to …everything else ratio.
I’m a big fan of this series, and this topic too, because you mentioned how good your cholesterol levels are and eat cheese.
Something I think is twat worthy is cholesterol reducing margarine. Margarine is full stop feral.
Arman @ thebigmansworld recently posted…10 Lies Health Food Stores told me to make sales
I can’t believe margarine still exists and that people actually continue to consume it. I don’t know what that is, but it ain’t food.
I didn’t want to brag (snort) but my cholesterol is top notch baby and I consume cheese, butter and eggs on the regular. It can be done.
Meghan recently posted…Natural Ways To Reduce Your Cholesterol
Yes, yes and more yes! I am allll about the power of healthy foods. I could go on and on in the comment box. Avocados and Olive Oil are my favs. I also eat fruit like its going out of style. getting one’s heart rate up is also important for good cholesterol. i honestly thing that modern medicine goes too far– yes when it comes to diseases and penicillin and all that, but the amount of drugs on the market is criminal.
Charlotte @ Commitness to Fitness recently posted…Does Anyone Else’s Mom Do This? (TOL)
Nice one. I need to use the phrase it’s criminal more often. It has a certain ring to it.
I shall do a shot of olive oil tonight in your honor.
Meghan recently posted…Random Ramblings and Senseless Mutterings
I know I’ve said this before but I LOVE LOVE LOVE your how to cook artichoke tutorial. I have seriously made this oh, fifty times or so since I first discovered your blog!!!
Shannyn recently posted…Sick sick Sick SICK sick.
That is so awesome!! I love it.
Meghan recently posted…Random Ramblings and Senseless Mutterings
Oh my gosh you caught me with those cute pictures again! So gorgeous!
I think this post is a great piece of advice. Though the information is not entirely new to me I loved how you added practicl advice by showing recipes. I am still drooling over every single picture!
If you already plan to make this a series I personally would love to see something about anti inflammatory foods.
BTW high five to great cholesterol levels and eating cheese by the pound! Youz’re my heroine 😀
Juli @1000lovelythings recently posted…Thinking Out Loud #33 – Confessions and Addictions
Always the cheese. 🙂
Anti inflammatory foods. Duly noted. I can do that. Thanks for the suggestion. It’s much appreciated.
Meghan recently posted…Random Ramblings and Senseless Mutterings
Yes to you writing a series on homeopathy! I’m not a fan of pills at all – might have to do with my upbringing – and would much rather try to treat any health issues without running to the pharmacy.
And now I’ll admit I’d put of cholesterol as an ‘old people issue’ before. But thinking about it we can really never start making wise decisions for healthy aging early enough. Meaning I’ll now take this post as a prescription to eat even more oats and beans. Don’t say you didn’t say that.
Miss Polkadot recently posted…What my grandparents taught me
Over here in the States, cholesterol problems are starting younger and younger. In fact, it’s true of all obesity related illnesses.
Amen to more oats and beans. You’ve got my full support.
Meghan recently posted…Random Ramblings and Senseless Mutterings
figured I would return the favour 😉
1) you are adorable! and if you really wanna see a tomboy check out any picture from my childhood. Note: curly bangs are always a bad idea.
2)”I got a new doctor”…you kill me!
3) I ate at McDs for the first time in 5 years last week. I literally felt my cholesterol shoot up just walking inside. I went home and downed a bottle of fish oil.
Davida @ The Healthy Maven recently posted…Wild Rice Stuffed Portobellos
I like when you return the favor.
Curly bangs are a bad idea, which is why I never had them. It just doesn’t work. Ha. I don’t think I could even walk inside McD’s without want to rage. They tore down a movie theater and put a McD’s in it’s place, and ever time I drive by, I want to egg the damn place. Makes me all kinds of crazy.
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