Cholesterol Down: Ten Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in Four Weeks--Without Prescription Drugs

When my cholesterol levels started creeping up to unhealthy levels, higher and higher every annual visit to the doctor, he tried to get me on cholesterol medicine. I finally told him I was going to lower my cholesterol level through diet. He said, somewhat sarcastically, "fine, go buy your book and come back in six months." So that's exactly what I did. I went online, researched, and bought Cholesterol Down. Let me tell you, this book not only provides you with easy to understand information about what cholesterol is, what affects it, and the causes of high cholesterol - it provides excellent advice and methods to bring hour cholesterol down naturally. It's a very easy and interesting read. So I read the book, I followed the advice to a "t," excercised...and when I went back to the doctor six months later, he was incredibly impressed with how much my cholesterol levels had gone down to a very healthy level. Naturally. If you read this book and follow the advice of Dr. Brill, you can make lifestyle changes that are not a "diet," they are just a healthier way of living and eating to achieve and maintain a healthy cholesterol level and avoid the health risks associated with high cholesterol and having to take medication (which also has its own risks). You learn not only the things to avoid that are bad for your cholesterol, you learn the things to incorporate into your diet that naturally help lower cholesterol. And as an added bonus...the book provides delicious healthy recipes at the end. I bought this book for myself 4 years ago...and just bought it again for my cousin, who was recently diagnosed with high cholesterol. The book is VERY affordable and gives you a wealth of information. If I could give it 10 stars, I would. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

This is a great book and very useful and practical when it comes to improving your cholesterol numbers. I bought this in December when my spouse received the news that his cholesterol was too high. His doctor prescribed a medication which had some negative impacts on his kidney and liver, so he went off of the medication and we were determined to try a more healthful and natural approach. He was great about following the steps and was able to do all daily (soy was the most difficult since he doesn't enjoy it, but luckily he loves almonds and oats). In just over 4 months of doing the 10 steps outline in the book his cholesterol has dropped from 256 to 207, Triglycerides dropped from 279 to 240, and LDL dropped from 159 to 130. He is looking forward to seeing future results as he continues on the program. He's also lost 15 pounds due to the healthier diet and exercise and has noticed that some digestive issues he'd suffered from pre-diet have gone away! So, he looks great, feels great and his doctor is happy. Since I do the grocery shopping and cooking we both read the book. While you can get the list online, actually purchasing the book is very helpful. The book explains the reasoning behind each step and options for accomplishing them. Knowing `why' things works was wonderful. We haven't used the recipes yet, but they look good. I loved this book, the program and results so much that I ordered this and had the book sent to my parents who are also working on cholesterol issues. Bottom line- the program works and you will feel great!

This book was very helpful and educational. I'm a 59 yr old female, at normal weight, and my total cholesterol and LDL has been creeping up over the last 4 years even though I ate mostly boneless, skinless chicken, 1 egg every two weeks, and overall had a pretty low fat diet. I followed only a few of the steps which was daily: instant oatmeal or had boxed instant oatmeal that included flaxseed, chia, quinoa, and amaranth), 1 oz almonds, an apple, and more fiber everyday ( a couple each of: dried dates, apricots, and dates...). Also cut out moderation of potato chips and ate pretzels, cut out eggs and regular cheese all together, and ate low fat animal cookies instead of regular small ginger snaps. Also ate plain non-fat Greek yogurt mixed with fat free cottage cheese (but did that before)... And walked 3 days a week for 30 min. After 8 weeks, my total cholesterol went from 265 to 210, my LDL went from 180 to 138, my non HDL went from 197 to 154!!!! My only concern is my HDL decreased from 68 to 56. Overall I'm very happy and surprised with the results!!! So glad I picked up this book and tried the steps I did. I hope my numbers continue to improve.

Thank you, Dr Brill! In August 2016 my long over due blood work indicated my overall cholesterol number was a frightening 243. My high blood pressure and high cholesterol substantially increased my risk of stroke, and I panicked over possibly being prescribed side effect riddled statin drugs. I searched on books for natural, medication-free ways to lower my cholesterol and found Dr Janet Bond Brill's 'Cholesterol Down.' I had just turned 60 so I will admit that I was skeptical that it was possible to erase with any plan years of unhealthy eating, weight gain, lack of exercise and family history of heart disease. What made me choose to try 'Cholesterol Down' was that the author set up simple-to-follow daily guidelines. The recommended foods, like apples, almonds, beans, etc and supplements were easy to add to my daily life. With nothing to lose, except my high cholesterol number, I purchased the book and began to follow the program. And I am so glad I did! Cholesterol Down really worked for me! My total cholesterol number went from a high 243 down to 157! Here is what I did over the course of five months beginning in August 2016. I ate oatmeal and added flax seed, oat bran and a tablespoon of organic granola for breakfast. Lunch was a large delicious apple and almonds. If I needed a snack to crunch on I went with additional organic raw almonds or cut vegetables. Dinner always included a large salad loaded with fresh vegetables, blueberries, strawberries, garbanzo beans, walnuts, almonds, and a drizzle of light balsamic vinaigrette. Salmon, lean chicken, quinoa were added to my dinner diet. I substituted filling whole grain breads for less healthy bread options. I never felt hungry, and that is really saying something since menopause always made me want to snack! I began adding the supplements, especially the fiber, slowly as recommended by the author and drank lots of water, so I had no problems tolerating any recommended supplements. I did not use any soy products, since I have a breast cancer history. I cooked more with garlic, but did not use the aged garlic supplement every day. I was not able to find any of the plant stenol juice or milk that the author recommended-they are discontinued by Smart Balance and Minute Maid-so I relied solely on Benacol for all plant stenol additions. And I walked 5-6 days a week, my 30 minutes bumping up to 60+ minutes. I lost 25 pounds, went from size 14 to size 8 and I feel great! My doctor was so impressed with my numbers that she wrote down the name of the book to check it out herself. The best part for me is that I know I am more healthy, both inside and outside, than I have been in a decade! My good cholesterol is up and my bad cholesterol is down! I plan to make Cholesterol Down a permanent lifestyle choice for me. I can not recommend this book enough!

The book promises "10 Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol" and it delivers. The first section of this book deals with what cholesterol is and what it does, and as this reader-friendly author suggests, "If science is not your cup of tea, simply cut to Part II." Part II is the meat of the book, listing the ten simple - and they are - steps to lowering your cholesterol. Not only simple, but affordable, too - much more so than prescribed medicine. With each step, the good Doctor explains how each process helps us reach our medical goal, gives the medical proof that exists for each, presents case histories, and lists further options and tips on how to additionally simplify each step. Yet, if you're not into the medical jargon, this section of the book is formated so you can skip over much of the material presented and get the basic information you need in a few short paragraphs. She does make it easy. The third and final section of the book offers charts to help you follow this course, if you're into such regimentation. There are also a few dozen healthful recipes, few of which appealed to me. Now here's the bonus part: as Brill explains, each of these steps will also help in lowering blood pressure, aiding diabetics, fighting obesity, forestalling aging, even stopping hair loss. So, if you suffer from any of these ills and more, you can't go wrong with this basic recipe for good health. After five weeks on this regimen, my cholesterol numbers were back to normal. The one problem I found with this diet, it was almost too much to eat. Well, not too much, but very filling. I have followed a modified version of the plan, mainly keeping in the oatmeal and heart-friendly orange juice, and my numbers continue to be where they should be months later.

Wow, I completed 3 weeks of the suggested diet and reduced my TC from 254 to 187. Recipes in the book are easy and good to eat. Even my famliy agreed that some of them are better than full fat meals. I have no complaints and would highly recommend. It's worth a try if you are trying to work on reducing your cholesterol and don't what to go on statins. (why would you if you can do it natural?) Overall I feel much better and while it took a little getting used to the diet change, it has worked like a champ. My plan is to stay on it for rest of my life. My doctor had said no way I would avoid a statin as he didn't think diet would do it, but boy was he wrong and has had to eat his hat. Some of the info is a bit dated as I could not find any of the suggested margarine or other products with the plant phenols. I think these have been discontinued, but the Chol-off supplement was what I used and could buy it in bulk at Costco, It seemed to work fine.

This book will help you get results. It did for me. I am a overweight, rather sedentery 59yr old male. My May 2010 blood work showed a Total Cholesterol of 241, Triglycerides of 198, and a Total Cholesterol to HDL ratio of 5.4. Plus my Blood Glucose numbers were awful as well. My MD put me on 10mg of a statin, but no other meds. That evening I ordered Janet Brill's book. Read it cover to cover, twice. Downloaded a copy to my Nook so that it is always with me. I did (and am doing) the 10 steps daily, including walking an hour per day. In combination with a pseudo-vegan diet (I allow myself an occasional piece of fish or some chicken) and the author's program, my numbers showed remarkable improvement in just three months. In Mid July 2010 by blood work showed a 22% improvement in my blood glucose, a 28% improvement in Total Cholesterol, a 32% improvement in Triglycerides, a 1 point improvement in my HDL from 45 to 46. My Cholesterol to HDL ratio improved to 3.8. VLDL improved by 32% as well. If you are worried about your cholesterol buy and read this book! It could save your life.

I’m so glad I turned to Cholesterol Down to help me address my high LDL level of 161. I'm a 56 year old male, and I didn’t relish the idea of going on statins for the rest of my life if there was any way to avoid them. My doctor said it is unlikely but possible to sufficiently bring down bad cholesterol through diet and exercise changes. I asked to give that a try and she said if I didn’t have cholesterol under control within 3 months, the pills will start. I found Cholesterol Down on Amazon, ordered it that day, and began following as much of the plan as possible. I learned so much. I started eating garlic and almonds and oats and apples and flax seeds, etc quite religiously. I gave up the foods described as causing problems. No more red meat. Very little meat at all, really. Mostly beans, seafood, and occasional poultry for protein. No more butter, no more cheese. Oat milk instead of cow. Most of all, I started choosing foods based on lowest levels of saturated fat. Also I started running every morning without fail. To be fair, there were a few things in the plan I didn't follow (no soy, no psyllium), but almost everything else became super important to me. I began the plan immediately and waited 10 weeks to do the next blood test. I was hoping to come down some reasonable amount in LDL during that period. I was stunned to see the incredible result, a drop in LDL levels to 96, comfortably in the Normal range. In 10 weeks (probably less), this book and some dedicated lifestyle changes took me from pills to normal. Thank you Dr Janet!

In combination with online research, I used this book as a reference guide from which I formulated my own Cholesterol reduction diet and plan. It's written in an informative way and was (and still is) exceptionally useful to me. Over a 2 month period I achieved a 30% Cholesterol reduction from 6.1 to 4.1; so a pretty good result through a change in diet and regular exercise.

Important to read if you must go on Statins. Very helpful.

I've learned a lot from this book, and appreciate how clearly the information and recommendations are presented. Can you get this same information (free) on the internet? Of course you can. However, the experience, expertise, effort and time of a professional are all worth paying for, and to have it all presented in one place clearly is worth the money paid, particularly when considering matters of health. I am using this book in combination with another (by Dr. Greger) to attempt to manage my diet in a way that will preclude my taking the statins that are being advised by the doctor. If statins are not something that is needed to stave off immediate health disaster(s), then taking the time to read books such as this, and implement some or most of the recommendations are surely worth your time and money. Only time will tell if I have succeeded in lowering my LDL levels, but even if I do not, the advice in this book offers a general improvement to health in any case, and is advisable for everyone, not just those with high cholesterol. I, personally, am willing to pay for that expertise and advice, rather than faff around searching the internet for bits and pieces of what can be found here in one book.

Wish I would have read this sooner. Recommending to my friends and family.

very informative on facts , names the sources etc. and good info.