Research from the European Society of Cardiology shows that, according to 2023 data, as many as 61% of EU residents have elevated cholesterol levels, including many people who don’t even know they are at risk. That's why prevention, especially natural prevention, is invaluable.
Why this should concern you, but not scare you
High cholesterol doesn't hurt. It doesn't burn. It doesn't sting. It doesn't give warnings, like a toothache does, for example. That’s why it’s important to act in time, but without panic. According to a study from Harvard Health (2024), just 10% improvement in lifestyle habits can lower bad cholesterol by 5–15% in three months. This means you don’t have to change your life completely—small steps can bring measurable results.
And now the best part: these small steps can be totally home-based, inexpensive, and enjoyable.
- Fiber: the secret cleaners of your vessels
Fiber is one of those things everyone talks about, but most people take too lightly. In reality, fiber in the body acts like tiny broomsticks. They bind to excess fats and cholesterol and carry them out of the body before they even have a chance to deposit in the blood vessels.
Oats are rich in fiber, containing a substance called beta-glucan. Beta-glucan is a natural fiber that acts like a sponge, absorbing fat and removing it. A study from the University of Toronto (2022) showed that 3g of beta-glucan daily can lower bad cholesterol by 12%. You can get 3 grams with one larger plate of oatmeal porridge.
Fruits such as apples, pears, and plums contain soluble fibers, with pectin being especially important—it is a natural gel in fruit that acts like a garbage bag, trapping excess cholesterol in the intestines. A study from 2021 showed that 15g of pectin daily (which is two large apples) can reduce cholesterol by approximately 7%.
Legumes, such as beans, chickpeas, and lentils, are also very high in fiber. If you eat them at least four times a week, according to a study in Nutrition & Metabolism (2020), you can lower cholesterol by up to 10%. - Daily brisk walking: the cheapest medicine for blood vessels
This advice is very simple. You don’t need to buy running shoes, go to the gym, or suffer… Just 20 to 30 minutes of brisk walking is enough, which sounds like very little, but has a big impact.
A study from the American National Heart Institute (2023) showed that daily brisk walking can lower bad cholesterol by up to 8% in just 6 weeks. Even more interesting, the beneficial HDL increases by about 4%.
The power of walking has also been confirmed by real-life examples. During the 2020 pandemic, many people in Italy, Spain, and France began walking daily simply because they had no alternative. After a year, doctors noticed an increase in good HDL by more than 5% in people who had not been physically active before.
Folk medicine says that walking stirs the blood, and that’s exactly what happens in the body. Walking speeds up circulation, blood flows faster and doesn’t stagnate, excess fat is processed more easily… The body starts to work more efficiently. - Smart fats: oil, nuts, and fish
When it comes to fats, many people get scared, thinking all fats are bad. But the truth is just the opposite. Good fats are essential for healthy blood vessels. They help remove bad cholesterol and increase the good kind.
For example: Olive oil contains more than 70% unsaturated fats, which, according to the Spanish Heart Study (2021), lower LDL by 9 to 12%. Moreover, it doesn’t have the harmful additives you find in refined oils.
Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation in the blood vessels. Just 30g of walnuts (about a handful) daily, according to a 2025 study, lowers cholesterol by up to 8%.
Fish, especially salmon, sardines, and mackerel, are powerful cleaners of blood vessels. Folk wisdom has always said: fish make the blood soft. Today we know this refers to the elasticity of the vessels.
How to incorporate these habits into an easy daily routine
The most natural way is to make it not feel like a diet or regime, but part of the habits you do incidentally. Folk medicine always says the best changes are those that do not disrupt your daily rhythm. So you could shape your day like this:
- prepare a breakfast rich in oats and apples,
- for lunch, use olive oil instead of fried oil,
- don’t forget an afternoon brisk walk,
- dinner should have plenty of vegetables and a handful of walnuts.
Every such change is a small pebble in the mosaic of better health. Whoever keeps to these habits for more than three months can expect cholesterol reduction by 10 to 20%, as confirmed by studies in JAMA Internal Medicine (2023).
Traditional home remedies that still work today
Our grandmothers always had simple and inexpensive solutions, which are coming back in a big way today. In times of high inflation and expensive healthcare, it makes even more sense to look to your home pantry.
- Garlic – a natural vessel cleaner
Garlic contains allicin, a substance that helps lower fats in the blood. Allicin is the natural juice in garlic that scrapes fats from the blood.
A study from the University of Prague (2022) showed that 4g of raw garlic daily lowers LDL by 9%. - Apple cider vinegar – an old farming classic
Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid, which slows the formation of fats in the liver. One tablespoon on an empty stomach daily, according to an Iranian study (2021), can lower LDL by up to 6%. - Plums – an overlooked treasure
Dried plums contain a large amount of pectin (a natural fiber in fruit). According to a 2020 study, 50g of dried plums per day can lower cholesterol by 5–7%.
Why natural solutions matter especially today
Since 2020, enormous changes have taken place in the world. People sit more, work from home more, move less, and eat more processed food. This is also reflected in the numbers: in Europe, between 2020 and 2024, the average body weight of adults increased by 1.8 kg, and elevated cholesterol rose by nearly 12%.
By 2025, researchers found that natural solutions, especially fiber, walking, and healthy fats, work better when done regularly. And best of all: these solutions cost next to nothing.
If you wanted to make only one change, you could start with walking. If two, add oatmeal. If three, switch oils. Your body will thank you, your blood vessels will become clearer, your energy will rise, your mind will be sharper, and your sleep more peaceful.
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