Lower Cholesterol

[kt1103]

I am 19 and I just found out today my cholesterol is 250. How do I lower it, I am scared of dying and I do not want to die from heart disease. I know this sounds extreme but I am really freaking out

[Paxiled]

Cholesterol numbers by themselves don't mean anything.  The type of cholesterol is more important, though there's no consensus as to how much of a role cholesterol plays in most types of heart disease.  Some people have congenitally high cholesterol.  For others, it's their diet and lifestyle, including how much they exercise.  The worst part is triglycerides, the next worst is LDL, but HDL is actually beneficial cholesterol.  One way to help is to increase HDL, which is found in fish and fish oil and some plants such as flax and hemp.  The other is to look at your diet -- cholesterol can be caused by foods that contain the wrong kind of fat but also by foods that metabolize quickly into sugar that you don't burn off quickly enough.  What's your diet like?  How much do you exercise?

[ABrod]

I recently helped my father adopt a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet. He has lost 15 lbs in the last 3 months, cut his cholesterol numbers by a third, and is feeling better than ever! A whole food plant-based diet is one that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds and eliminates processed foods, animal products (meat, dairy, eggs), and oil. I would suggest looking for whole food plant-based recipes online. There is a huge body of evidence pointing to the ability of the diet to reverse type 2 diabetes and lower cholesterol levels. Give it a shot for a couple weeks and check your blood scores! I hope this helps!