While most people resort to taking dietary supplements to lower high cholesterol, natural methods are being pushed and highly recommended by doctors and nutritionists to maintain and improve one’s well-being.

Granted that these supplements and medications work well with your body, doing it the natural way has a lot of other benefits other than cutting off fat deposits running (and blocking) through your veins. As the old Appeal to Nature argument goes, “A thing is good because it’s natural.”

Interested in starting to go all natural? Here are some tips:

Know your food

Take the good ol’ doctor’s advice, “watch what you eat” in order to significantly drop your cholesterol rate. But this does not suggest you to stop enjoying food. Remember, eating right is very different from eating less, that’s why upsetting your appetite for you to eat less or worse, not eating at all won’t do any good. The key here is balanced diet and knowing the nutrition facts of your food (e.g. saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, sugar, protein, carbohydrates, etc.)

Separate the Good from the Bad

Eating wisely is just like choosing what is right from wrong. Consuming food with high fatty content reduces High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) AKA good cholesterol in your body, so it’s better to go for white or lean over red and bloody. You may also consider eating fish as substitute for meat. As for cooking, use olive oil or sunflower oil instead of regular palm and coconut oil, as the latter two contains higher saturated fat. It is better to go for baked, steamed, stewed or poached food instead of fried. Eat more fibrous grub such as fruits, veggies, oats, and nuts, while cut down a couple of notches on food with high calories and carbs.

Rock Your Body

Car is to fuel as body is to food. Thus, the logical thing to do is to use that fuel, or as the analogy goes, burn it. And by burning it, not just by simply go through with your day. Watching TV or sitting on the same office chair for 8 straight hours won’t do the job. Do more dynamic physical activities, such as brisk walking, jogging, sports or aerobics to release that pent-up energy. A good 45-minute cardio a day is ideal for lowering bad cholesterol in your body.

A Little Booze Is Not That Bad

As long as you don’t abuse alcohol by going on a binge drinking spree, then you’re fine. Drinking 2 to 3 glasses of red wine daily reduces the risks of heart-related diseases. Resveratol, polyphenol and flavanoids are anti-oxidants found in wine grapes raises the levels of HDL in your body, while protecting the lining of your heart’s blood vessels to prevent blood clotting. Same goes beer drinkers. Beer, particularly dark beer, has antioxidants that relatively provide the same benefits as that of wine.

Kick your Smoking Habit

Cigarette and other tobacco products contain free-radicals that cause the constriction of blood vessels and damage to the arteries’ lining. These effects inevitably lead to build-up of HDL and other fatty substances on the artery walls. Kicking the habit improves blood circulation as the carbon monoxide level in your body drops significantly, while long term benefits include avoiding risks of acquiring heart diseases.

Dodge Stress

As the song goes, “Relax!” Stress comes in many forms, and it’s going to get you whether you like it or not. Stress imposes the increase of cholesterol level in your body by triggering chemical imbalance and the release of fatty substance. For most people, breathing exercises and yoga are the best counteractions for stress. Although, techniques to alleviate stress may still vary, depending on the person’s character and preferences in handling stress.

Natural Supplements

Aside from taking prescribed supplements, natural supplements such as garlic cloves, barley, green tea, oats and artichoke are still considered far more effective and safer. Most of these traditional supplements have the same benefits for lowering your cholesterol level.

We often think of the body’s inflammation response as something we can feel—like in our joints and muscles where there are large numbers of sensitive nerve endings. But we can also have an inflammation response we can’t feel where sensitive nerves aren’t concentrated. Whether we’re aware of it or not, the body’s inflammation response can affect every organ and cell in the body.

Zyflamend represents a scientific breakthrough based on extensive research on how phytochemicals present in herbs and spices can safely and effectively promote a healthy inflammation response for overall health and wellness. The herbs are carefully extracted to deliver the full spectrum of their naturally occurring constituents. This multitude of compounds works together to help your body support a healthy inflammation response.

Tailored Zyflamend for Tailored Support: Zyflamend Heart
Zyflamend Heart delivers the patented Zyflamend formula and adds the power of one of Nature’s true superfoods—whole fish oil from Wild Alaskan Salmon. Our extra-virgin 100% Wild Salmon oil contains the beneficial Omega fatty acids (good fats) that are the main reason experts recommend eating fish regularly. Omega fatty acids improve the Omega-3 Index, a studied heart health marker, and help retain healthy triglyceride levels.

In addition to Zyflamend Heart, there are Zyflamend formulations specifically for men.

Zyflamend Prostate

Prostate health is a concern for every man as the years go by. Fortunately, Nature has provided us with an array of key foods and herbs that, when sufficiently concentrated and intelligently blended, can provide support for prostate health.* You can find these select ingredients in Zyflamend Prostate, the unique herbal formula with a combined approach to prostate health: helping to support normal urine flow, supporting a healthy antioxidant response, and supporting overall prostate health.

Supports Whole-Body Health
How are you supporting your healthy inflammation response? Perhaps just as important as a daily multivitamin, Zyflamend is the patented herbal protocol to help your whole body’s natural inflammation process stay balanced. Whole-food antioxidants, including Ginger, Turmeric, Green Tea, and Rosemary, help quench free radicals and support healthy aging.

References

New Chapter (n.d.). New Chapter Catalog Retrieved from http://www.newchapter.com/catalog

A common misconception about buying muscle building supplements is that the moment body building rookies and gym noobs get a hold of this, instant muscles will instantly grow on them as if this works the spinach works on Popeye. Word of advice: Don’t take drastic measures and actions when planning to go on a fitness allegiance. And buying muscle building supplement may instead put your body into something that you’ll regret.

Muscle gain supplements must be partnered with regular exercise and balanced diet to achieve desired results.

Perhaps, it is recommended to evaluate yourself first in order to know the right supplement for you and at the same time, determine if this is necessary for your program or you can just skip it. To help in evaluating this, here are a few points to ponder.

Why You Should:

You need an extra boost to your protein RDA

– Athletes, seasoned trainers and bodybuilders require a higher intake of protein, which in at the range of 1.4 to 2.0g per kilogram as opposed to the regular RDA of 0.8g per kilogram in order for their body to compensate the protein used by the body during workout, as well as to promote the body’s ability to adapt sudden increase of activities. This is where muscle gain supplements come in (and hence, the term “supplement”). It supplies the necessary extra amount of protein that is needed to fuel up the body for such strenuous activities, as well as to support the building of body mass and development of muscles.

You want fast and effective when used properly

– Be it for pre or post-workout, muscle gain supplements work a lot faster because of its liquid form. For pre-workouts, supplements can serve as the muscle’s energy source for accomplishing various tasks, resulting to burning more fats and calories. The body can easily absorb protein, which is important for the muscle recovery and development (for post-workout).

You need to cut off your binge eating habit

– Not that this post encourages you to refrain from eating when trying to get buff. In fact, it is highly-encouraged to pair your supplement intake with a balanced diet for more desirable result. Now going back, supplements mixed with water, juice or shakes, as well as those ready to mix supplements can serve as a great substitute for high fat/cholesterol and calorie content food, which is considerably better for reducing the risk of heart disease.

Why You Shouldn’t:

If you’re lactose intolerant/ have a weak stomach

– Some, if not most bodybuilding dairy-based supplements (whey) can trigger stomach cramps, bloating and even diarrhea, especially for those who are lactose intolerant. Moreover, creatine, which usually found in flavored supplements, contributes to these side effects.

You don’t have regular exercise

– Supplements are energy boosters by nature. And the reason for that is to trigger a person to engage in exercising to develop muscles the right way. And it would be a big waste not to use it. Rule of thumb when taking these protein-fortified drinks is you need to pair it with regular exercise if you want to achieve significant results. Otherwise, this will only cause you to gain weight without the muscles.

If your funds won’t allow

– Health and beauty comes with a price. And in the case of this protein supplement, it’s quite steep. Supplement’s price range usually starts at $30 and reach for as high as $100. And that’s just the mix alone. Although there are a number of fitness distributors and online supplement shops that offer low priced health products, you still have to consider the food that needs to go with it such as fish, meat and veggies.

With all of this being said, it is also a good idea to seek recommendations coming from your personal trainer, nutritionist and doctor, should you decide to start your supplement intake.