How to lower cholesterol without drugs?

[ncsc]

Hi.  I have both celiac disease and ulcerative colitis.  I eat real food - meat, seafood, veges, fruit.  I do not eat nightshades or gluten-free processed foods.  I cook a lot and eat out on rare occasions.  Eating out may be the only time I actually eat anything gluten-free processed.  With this diet, how to I lower my cholesterol which is very high.  I do not eat the traditional diet for lower cholesterol (like gluten-free beans and gluten-free oats).  How do I lower cholesterol without eating gluten-free grains?  Any suggestions are welcome.  Thanks in advance.  This is the most informative gluten-free form I am thankful to be a part of.  

[Scott Adams]

This depends on what you consider to be drugs vs. nutraceuticals. I know that some on this forum have been able to lower their cholesterol via vitamin supplements, and this thread covers that approach well:

There are also ancient Chinese ways to do this by using a supplement called red yeast rice, which is a naturally occurring fungus I believe, which contains a statin that does reduce cholesterol.

I have a family history of heart disease, and tried exercise, supplements, and other ways to reduce mine, but ended up just taking a low dose statin (Lipitor). 

[ncsc]

Thank you for directing me to this thread.  I will check it out.  I am trying to stay away from the statins.  I am open to vitamins, diet changes,  and other options.  All of course while protecting and maintaining a healthy gut.  

[Blue-Sky]

If you celiac you need to avoid wheat (and also probably oats), however other grain might be fine if you aren't sensitive to it. 

For some people with UC some grain may be fine. Here is a study on diet and UC. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1774231/

There is also information that zinc (I take it with selenium, and magnesium) can lower inflammation in the gut. I did a blog post on this.