Like any medication, starting a regimine of cholesterol-lowering medications shouldn't be taken lightly. My doctor and I agreed, that with the healthy lifestyle I lead, good diet and moderate amounts of exercise, a more natural approach was in order before resorting to drugs.

So in addition to the low-fat diet that I already eat, I am adding the following foods to help lower my cholesterol:

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Garlic - Compounds in garlic are known to help 'loosen' the cholesterol from your artery walls and flush it from your system. So spice up your meals, saute some with your vegetables or, if you're worried about bad breath, by some garlic capsules.

Cinnamon - This spice also works to eliminate bad cholesterol from your body. At least 1/4 teaspoon/day is recommended to achieve healthful benefits. Easy ways to work this spice into your diet: put some in your coffee, or mix with sugar or a sugar substitute and sprinkle on everything from toast to fruit to cottage or ricotta cheese.

Oat fiber - This insoluble fiber acts like a broom in your body - sweeping the cholesterol out. The best source - old-fashioned oatmeal, but quick-cook oatmeal, with a little cinnamon on it for good measure, works well too, as do Cheerios, oat bran muffins and oat bran bread.

Sterol-based Margarines - These butter-substitutes are made with plant sterols, the natural version of the chemical found in many cholesterol-lowering medications. These compounds work to not only lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol, but to also boost your good (HDL) cholesterol.

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