How can I lower my cholesterol levels?

🗣Happy Saturday everyone! Have been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels and you have been told by your doctor to go on medication such as statins to help reduce it? Then guess what? You may want to try implement these 6 tips to lower your cholesterol levels as suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to go off statins.

As a Health and Wellbeing Coach working within the National Health System (NHS) in the UK, I work with patients with high cholesterol levels among other medical conditions and I see tremendous results on daily basis. Indeed, you’d be surprised how fast you can turn things around when you decide to make changes to your diet and lifestyles. Here is my most recent success I had with a patient, Sally Ann, 73 years old, had been struggling to put her cholesterol under control over the last 10 years or so since she’s been diagnosed, however, she was not keen on starting medication so her GP referred her to me for health and well-being coaching. Within 2 months of coaching, with fortnightly sessions (1h per session), she was able to quickly turn things around: she managed to bring her total cholesterol level from 6 mmol/L (May reading) to 4.1 mmol/L (July reading) which is now in the healthy range (≤ 5 mmol/L). Not only that, she also successfully lowered her LDL “bad cholesterols” from 4.8 mmol/L to 3.3 mmol/L (healthy level ≤ 4mmol/L).

Now, how did we achieve such great results?

1. We started with increasing her physical activity, she began to take her dog for long walks to hit a minimum of 150 minutes per week
2. We got her to log her food and fluid intake in a food journal for a week, then we ran an analysis to assess the gaps i.e. the foods that were contributing to raise her cholesterol levels and from there we identified foods swaps an alternative that were healthier options and that she felt comfortable and confident implementing.
3. We also built her with nutrition knowledge basics to achieve and maintain a healthy / balanced diet so she can keep her cholesterol levels under control.
4. We focused on reducing her bodyweight as well by working on portion sizes and getting more physically active. Indeed, overweight is a risk factor to cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension. So this was also an important success factor.

If she did it, you can do it too! It only took 2 months to reverse it. Here is what I want to leave with today: 6 recommendations by the CDC to lower your cholesterol levels. If it feels overwhelming, you can pick and choose one that you feel comfortable and confident implementing at first over the course of a week or two then add another one and repeat the process. Bonus tip: if you’re struggling with accountability and motivation, book a blood test so you have a goal to work towards and a way to track your progress. Bonus tip2: Book a FREE consultation with me if you’re still unsure where to start, alternatively use the WhatsApp chat button on the front page of my website and I will respond.

6 tips by the CDC to lower your cholesterol

1. Eliminate trans fats found in margarines and store-bought cookies, crackers and cakes.

2. Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids: salmon, mackerel, nuts and seeds.

3. Increase soluble fiber to reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream.

4. Exercise: Moderate physical activity helps raise HDL (good cholesterol).

5. Add Whey proteins to help reduce the LDL (bad cholesterol).

6. Reduce saturated fats found in red meat and full-fat dairy products.

🎯 Implement these changes within the next 4 weeks with discipline + consistency, I promise you that your cholesterol level will go down.

👉 Share with someone who might find these tips useful and follow for more information on how to bring you markers of health in the healthy range! ❤️