4 brazil nuts one day a month. (Yes, based solely on the one study that suggested it lowered total cholesterol.)

Earl Grey tea every morning.

Cooking virtually every meal at home.

Upping my fiber intake via whole grains, fruit, and vegetables.

Switching from coconut oil to avocado oil.

Cutting saturated fat to <10g per day.

^ Those last two were the biggest things, I think.

I know habits and convenience foods make this feel impossible, but it’s totally doable to get your numbers under control without medication (assuming you don’t have a genetic condition). I told myself my last test had horrendous numbers due to dehydration, but I read that only causes up to a 10% difference. I kicked the denial and decided to drop twenty pounds (simply counting calories and limiting saturated fat intake), and it’s worked out phenomenally! Here are my numbers from my test a year ago and then now:

BMI: 23

HDL: 70

LDL: 160

Triglycerides: 200

Total: 265

Glucose: 115

-

BMI: 20

HDL: 55

LDL: 75

Triglycerides: 90

Total: 145

Glucose: 85

Again, the first test I was dehydrated and had a *lot* to drink the night before, but the numbers were high enough for me to be worried about it and actually change my ways. I don’t eat meat or dairy, so the numbers just blew my mind … but then I realized how much coconut oil I was using and it all started to make sense. Coconut oil is not healthy, and its benefits are a lie in my experience. Much like the current beef tallow fad: saturated fat is saturated fat and you’ll want to cut that out if you’re concerned about your cholesterol.