Cholesterol is a vital natural substance needed for overall health and essential brain function, but when your “bad” LDL levels are too high, some cholesterol clings to the walls of your blood vessels. This causes your blood vessels to narrow and blood flow to decrease, leaving you open to experience a life-threatening heart disaster.

Did you know that more than 102 million Americans have these unhealthy cholesterol levels? And more than 20 million Americans are taking popular cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor^® —the most commonly prescribed drug available in the United States.

But new research shows statin drugs—including Lipitor^® —are not providing the “heart attack protection” for women that they are claiming. And new studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) are showing staggering health problems caused by these drugs—fatigue… memory loss… heart damage… blood sugar problems… and serious decreases of the nutrient CoEnzyme Q10.

So, is there a natural and safe way to lower your bad LDL cholesterol and increase your good HDL cholesterol? You bet!

Increase your intake of soluble dietary fiber. To do this, I recommend six servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit, beans and grains daily. Here are some examples of these cholesterol-lowering whole foods:

• One vegetable serving equals either 1 cup raw veggies, 1⁄2 cup cooked veggies, one potato or 1⁄2 cup cooked rice.
• One fruit serving equals either 1 cup raw fruits or 1⁄2 cup cooked fruits, or a medium-sized piece such as an apple, orange or banana.
• One serving of beans equals either 1 cup lima, kidney or pinto beans. These count as one vegetable serving.
• One serving of grain equals either 2 slices of whole-grain bread, 1⁄2 cup cooked corn, oats or wheat. High fiber cereal is also a great source of whole grain.

We need about 75 grams of fiber daily to prevent disease. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) report by the government places average consumption of fiber at 12 grams—less than one-sixth of what we really need!

So eating plenty of whole foods that are high in soluble fiber is the answer to controlling your cholesterol levels—the safe and natural way! And your heart will thank you for it!