Like many here probably I have six-monthly 'routine' blood tests. And also like many, trying to keep cholesterol levels within the normal parameters gets more tricky with age and lifestyle etc. My blood test results in november 2015 showed a slight increase on the previous six months with all readings showing a steady decline in the overall well being regarding HDL, LDL & cholesterol levels. Following the november results my GP suggested I try to improve these results or face being put on drugs to chemically get the readings to a more acceptable level.
From november I changed three things
a) Drank only green tea - I love tea and can quite easily get through six cups each day. I don't drink coffee for no other reason than I don't like it ! The tea I have been drinking has been Ginger & Lemon, Ginseng, Yunnan Natural and Camomile an hour before going to bed.
b) An increase in exercise - walking for about one hour each day unless i've been grass cutting with a push-mower (no posh ride-ons here !) or doing other physical graft.
c) Eating more food likely to help reduce cholesterol - The 'usuals' like oats ( I love porridge), red wine, dark chocolate etc etc but an important food i've introduced into my diet is grenadine seeds. They can be eaten in a fruit or non-fruit salad or as topping in a yoghurt or just as they are. They are brill in the middle of a melon.
I have not dieted and I eat EVERYTHING ! I'm not a great drinker nowadays but the red wine flows ok. I eat what and when I want as before so this isn't a wonder diet quite simply a way to reduce cholesterol NATURALLY. It isn't a gimmick and i'm just an ordinary person so trust me when I say it works for me.
Now the important bit - the results.
LDL or 'bad' cholesterol reduced to 1.24 g/L from 1.53 g/L in november
HDL or 'good' cholesterol remains stable at about 0.50 g/L
Total Cholesterol is now at 2.01 g/L from 2.34 g/L in november !
Hope this helps anyone trying to reduce.