Down With Cholesterol!

I recently had a cholesterol re-check due to my slightly elevated results from 6 months ago (HERE).  The results are in...  drum roll, please...

I dropped 30 points in 6 months!!!

I was thrilled to hear this, mainly because it's good for me, but also because it means I was able to do it naturally without any drastic measures.  Here are some changes I've made in the past 6 months that have been beneficial to my heart health:

• I stopped eating bacon with breakfast every day.  I'm sure you are saying, "Duh, Megan, of course your cholesterol was high if you ate bacon every day!"  Well, yes.  And this proves it.  Bacon is so delicious, and they make it so convenient now with microwaveable servings!  But it's also a "sometimes" food, and I'm treating it as such.
• I started adding ground flaxseed to my cereal in the morning and to my yogurt every time I eat it.  I also sprinkle it on peanut butter toast and on my ice cream sometimes!  Easy, inexpensive, and good for you.
• Instead of drinking orange juice for breakfast, I've started doing a 50/50 of OJ and grapefruit juice.  That was hard for me at first, but now I almost like it...  regular OJ seems too sweet to me now if it doesn't have that grapefruit pucker to it.
• I started being more conscious of my fruit and vegetable intake every day.  I try.  I know I'm not perfect and I still fall short in the vegetable category sometimes, but I'm trying!
• I've maintained my current level of exercise, or increased, even when I don't feel like it.
• I've done a better job with portion control and trying to make better food choices, in general.

(Note, I am not a doctor, and if you need to talk to your doctor about cholesterol, you should do so!  I'm just sharing some things that worked for me.)