Wave: Dear Jacquie

Your queries about natural health answered by Jacquie Lane from the The College of Naturopathic Medicine

Dear Jacquie,
I have just had a cholesterol test which the GP says is high (5.9) and that I need statins. My blood pressure is quite low 106/70 and my glucose levels are normal. I don’t want to take statins, what foods can I eat to reduce it.
PC, Brighton

As your blood pressure and blood glucose levels are low you may want to try the following dietary advice.
Foods that contain soluble fibre can help lower cholesterol; these include apples, strawberries, vegetables, beans and lentils. Another way to aid cholesterol reduction is to add two heaped dessert spoons of oat-bran or ground flaxseeds to your diet, either on muesli, or try using it in cooking with soups and stews.
You can cook with turmeric, chilli, garlic and cinnamon which all add to the lowering effect on LDL (bad cholesterol).

Eating oily fish, seeds and nuts (especially almonds and walnuts), green vegetables and avocados will boost your vitamin E levels, which may help improve the balance of HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL. Omega 3 fish oils are very beneficial in capsule form, as are garlic capsules. (Note that both these may thin the blood which makes them unsuitable for anyone on blood thinning medication).

Things to cut down on, or avoid where possible, include saturated fats such as butter, cheese, fatty meats, sugar, alcohol and tobacco. Try to reduce stressful situations in your life, as these can contribute to ill health, take up classes like meditation, pilates or yoga and try to include a 30 minute walk into your routine every day.

For this plan to be truly effective, you’ll need to do all of this advice rather than just picking out the bits you like. Then, after six months following the plan, you should go back to your GP to get re-tested and see the reduction in cholesterol levels.

See a nutritional therapist and get an individual therapy plan worked out just for you. See your health professional
for advice.