High cholesterol: what natural remedies and lifestyle changes help?

The essentials. Four food groups come up repeatedly in the Institute's teaching on cholesterol during the fast: fiber, healthy unsaturated fats, antioxidants, and plant-based protein. In practical terms, this means oats, whole-grain bread, apples and prunes, garlic, onion, carrot and beet, olive oil, plain yogurt with flaxseed, and giving up soda and excess sugar. Liver-supporting plants, artichoke leaf foremost among them, along with a few small vegetable juices, round out the approach, without ever replacing treatment. No statin is stopped or reduced without the agreement of the doctor who prescribed it.

What your blood test tells you

Three values matter on a lipid panel: LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. The first two describe how fats circulate in the blood, while the third depends heavily on what you eat and drink. These numbers should always be interpreted with your doctor, who takes into account your age, blood pressure, blood sugar, and medical history. What you read here supports their follow-up care and never replaces it at any point.

Fasting, and the four levers it brings to light

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Fasting is a shield." (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim). In another hadith, he ﷺ said: "Fast, and you will be healthy." The Institute points out that, physiologically speaking, fasting reduces the metabolic burden, improves blood sugar regulation, and contributes to the body's lipid balance.

In its teaching devoted to the benefits of fasting on cholesterol, the Institute highlights four important things for eliminating cholesterol during the fast:

• fiber, effective at limiting cholesterol absorption;
• healthy unsaturated fats, which lower cholesterol levels and thin the blood;
• antioxidants, which protect the artery walls;
• plant-based protein, which prevents cholesterol absorption.

These four guidelines were given for the time of fasting. They also very simply outline how to put together your plate the rest of the year: plants, living fats, and color.

The plate: what really changes

The program the Institute gives to a fasting person with cholesterol issues translates directly to an ordinary day.

• Whole grains: oat or oat bran soups, whole-grain bread or barley bread, rather than white flours.
• Apples and prunes, both cited as good allies against cholesterol; fruit in general—pineapple, fig, or banana—makes a good replacement for sodas, which promote weight gain.
• Garlic, onion, carrot, and beet, recommended by name, to be worked into meals almost every day.
• Soy instead of cow's milk: the Institute states that soy-based products are beneficial against cholesterol.
• Plain yogurt for the probiotics, paired with a small teaspoon of flaxseed.
• Green tea and plenty of water as the day's basic drinks.

The rest comes down to how you cook. Olive oil is recommended in meals; it takes the place of fats that have been cooked and recooked. Alternate each day between meat, fish, and eggs, and keep in mind Professor Akim Bouterra's advice for the month of fasting, which holds true all year round: don't overdo spices, fats, sugar, or salt, and don't drink too much coffee. Added sugar and sugary drinks are the first things to leave the table when triglycerides rise.

Juices, honey, and plants

Among juices, apple is the one the Institute cites explicitly for cholesterol: it is a detox all on its own, rich in water, pectin, and quercetin. The recipe given is an apple water—1.5 liters of water, 8 apples, a lemon, ginger—to be followed for three to four days at most, like the Prophet's ﷺ date juice. Tomato juice is presented as cleansing the blood and preventing heart disease; beet eliminates toxins and protects the liver; carrot juice, the Institute says, cleanses the blood just like hijama (cupping).

A few guidelines to keep things right: one to two small fresh glasses a day, not exceeding 750 ml to 1 liter, with at most 30% fruit, since repeated fruit juices tire out the pancreas. Drink them between meals, twenty to thirty minutes away from any food.

Honey in cold water, sipped on an empty stomach, is part of the Prophet's ﷺ way of drinking as reported by Ibn al-Qayyim, along with date juice. Aisha reports that "the Prophet's ﷺ favorite drink was the one that was cold and sweet." Nothing in this teaching links this drink to the lipid panel: it is a lovely morning habit, not a cholesterol remedy.

On the plant side, the Institute recommends artichoke leaf, as an herbal tea or in ampoule form, which can be paired with turmeric, dandelion, or black radish, as a juice or in ampoule form. Milk thistle and artichoke are also mentioned to support the liver. Lastly, red yeast rice is mentioned as a dietary supplement, because of its monacolin K content—this is precisely the one that calls for the most caution, see below.

In practice: a three-month plan

There's no point stacking ten products in a single week. A gradual approach holds up better over time and shows up better on your next blood test.

• The first month, remove and establish. Soda and added sugar leave the house. Oats, whole-grain bread, olive oil, plain yogurt with flaxseed, and green tea become habits. Drink plenty of water.
• The second month, enrich. Garlic, onion, carrot, and beet almost every day; alternating meat, fish, and eggs; an apple or a few prunes as a snack; a small vegetable juice midday. Also build in movement: walking every day, at a pace that gets you breathing a little, helps the body better regulate its fats and remains the simplest habit to adopt.
• The third month, take a course and measure. A short course of artichoke leaf, alone or combined with turmeric, dandelion, or black radish, with your doctor's agreement if you are under treatment. Then redo the blood test with them, and look together at what has changed.

Precautions

A treatment never stops on its own. If your doctor has prescribed a statin or another cholesterol medication, diet and herbs come in addition, not in place of it. The decision to reduce or stop belongs to them, based on a new checkup.

Red yeast rice requires medical advice. Its active substance is very close to certain cholesterol medications: taking it at the same time as a treatment, or over the long term without supervision, is not without risk. Only consider it with your doctor.

Liver and bile herbs — artichoke, black radish, dandelion — are not suitable in cases of gallstones or bile duct obstruction, and should be discussed with a professional if you are taking other medications. A pregnant or breastfeeding woman, a frail elderly person, or a child should not start any herbal course without medical advice.

Juices remain juices. No more than one liter per day, never when the body lacks energy, and apple water for three to four days at most. Whole fruits and vegetables, raw or gently steamed, remain the foundation.

If you wish to fast outside of Ramadan to support this approach, talk to your doctor first. Medical jurisprudence reminds us that a sick person must break the fast if it harms them, or if their treatment must be taken during the day, Allah having said: "Whoever among you is ill or on a journey shall fast an equal number of other days." And in the face of chest pain or unusual shortness of breath, one consults without delay.

Frequently asked questions

Does fasting really lower cholesterol?

The Institute teaches that fasting reduces metabolic overload, improves blood sugar regulation, and contributes to the body's lipid balance. It is above all the food choices made at suhoor and iftar that make the difference: fiber, good fats, antioxidants, and plant proteins. A fast followed by excess in the evening adds nothing to the outcome.

Which foods should I prioritize on my plate?

Oatmeal or oat bran soups, whole wheat bread, apple and prunes, garlic, onion, carrot and beet, olive oil, plain yogurt with a small spoonful of flaxseed, and soy-based products in place of cow's milk. Alternate meat, fish, and egg each day, and replace sodas with fruit.

Does honey lower cholesterol?

Honey in cold water, sipped on an empty stomach, is part of the way the Prophet ﷺ used to drink, as reported by Ibn al-Qayyim, and it is a good morning habit. But nothing in this teaching links it to lipid levels. It replaces neither the fiber nor the good fats on your plate.

Can I take red yeast rice with my statin?

Not without your doctor's advice. The monacolin K it contains is very close to certain cholesterol medications, and combining them amounts to doubling up on the same thing. It is the supplement on this list that calls for the most caution.

How many juices can I drink each day?

One to two small fresh glasses, not exceeding 75 centiliters to one liter per day, with at most 30% fruit so as not to tire the pancreas. Drink them between meals, twenty to thirty minutes away from any food. Apple water, for its part, should be followed for three to four days at most.