1. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily.
2. Ladyfinger works wonder. Just keep in mind it should not be fried else its nutritional properties does not remain.
3. Start your day with fresh fruits and grains such as oats that are high in soluble fiber.
4. Minimize consumption of animal products including dairy products.
5. Consume fish viz salmon, sardine and tuna as well as oysters, clams and mussels. These help lower LDL and improve HDL.
6. Bananas, pears, avocados, berries are good.
7. Orange juice is best in juices and blueberry juice is also good.
8. Restrict consumption of Omega-6 rich oils such as corn oil and safflower oil. Instead, use olive oil, sesame oil and rapeseed oil that have ‘good fat’.
9. Eat a lot of antioxidant-rich foods such as strawberries, apples, nuts, carrots, broccoli and spinach.
10. Green tea should be taken early in the morning.
11. Use turmeric and curry leaves when cooking dishes. They have cholesterol-lowering properties.
12. Eat flaxseeds, almonds, walnuts. It has great effect on lowering cholesterol levels
13. Drink water boiled with 2 tsp coriander seed twice daily. It reduces cholesterol, improves digestion and flushes out toxins.
14. Avoid excess of alcohol
15. Quit smoking. Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol levels and increases the tendency for blood to clot.
16. Take grilled garlic – one or two small cloves – daily with your main meal. Half a raw onion juice daily is beneficial in boosting HDL.
17. Do regular exercise like walking – for an hour. Regular physical activity by itself increases HDL cholesterol in some people.