Introduction
High cholesterol is the number one killer of men and women around the world. It can lead to heart disease, stroke, and even blindness if left untreated. In fact, high levels of LDL cholesterol are more common than high levels of HDL cholesterol in most people who have heart disease. So how do you lower your risk for developing these conditions?
There are many ways that you can take steps toward bettering your health without resorting to medication!
 |
| Top Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol |
Increase Activity Levels
Exercise is good for your heart and lowering cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every week, but that's not necessarily enough to lower cholesterol levels.
If you want to lower your total cholesterol, it’s best if you stick with the recommended amount of exercise—at least 30 minutes per day of moderate intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week (2 days) of vigorous aerobic activity—and make sure it's done consistently over time.
Get More Fiber
The recommended amount of fiber you need depends on your age and sex:
Men aged 19-50 should eat at least 21 grams per day (about 7-8 servings) while women older than 50 need at least 25 grams per day (about 9-10 servings).
Children ages 1 -3 years old should get 18 grams daily through fortified cereals or juice; 4-8 years old get 30 grams daily; 9+ year olds get 38 grams daily.
Reduce Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are found in animal foods such as meat, dairy and eggs. They can increase your cholesterol levels, which increases your risk of heart disease.
If you want to eat meat or dairy products, choose lean cuts with less than 5 grams of saturated fat per serving (about one ounce). You can also reduce the amount of saturated fat you’re eating by replacing fried foods with baked ones or using spray-on cooking sprays instead of oil in frying pans when cooking at home.
If you’re not sure whether something contains a lot of cholesterol—like mayonnaise or butter—ask someone who knows what they are talking about whether it should be avoided during this time period so that their advice will be helpful!
Watch the Salt
The amount of salt you consume is one of the most important factors in reducing your cholesterol levels. The recommended daily amount for adults is less than 2,300 milligrams per day (as a general guideline). Foods high in sodium include:
Cured meats like bacon and sausages
Deli meats such as salami and bologna
Cheese products including cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese (keep in mind that it might not be healthy to eat too much cheese!)
Cut Out All Trans Fat
Cutting out trans fat from your diet is a quick and easy way to lower cholesterol. Trans fat is found in processed foods, so if you're eating more than two servings of these foods per day, it's best to reduce or eliminate them.
Trans fats increase LDL cholesterol—the "bad" kind of cholesterol that can go up in response to excess saturated fat intake. They also increase the risk for heart disease and stroke, which are two of the leading causes of death worldwide (1).
Triglycerides are a type of blood fat that increases when eating too much saturated fat or carbohydrates (like white bread). High triglyceride levels can lead to high blood pressure and other health problems like cancer or diabetes (2).
Eat More Fruits
Fruits are a great way to increase your intake of fiber, which helps lower cholesterol. Fiber also helps reduce inflammation, which is a major factor in the development of heart disease and stroke.
Fruits contain antioxidants that help fight free radicals in the body, which can lead to various conditions including cancer and aging. Fruits are low in fat and high in water content (which make them more difficult for your body to digest), so they have no effect on blood sugar levels or insulin production—and therefore won't cause weight gain or other health problems!
Vitamin C from fruits helps absorb iron from food sources like meat or beans; this vitamin is essential for healthy veins because it increases hemoglobin production within red blood cells that deliver oxygen throughout the body's tissues via its bloodstream system.*
Get Picky with Food
Choose foods that are low in cholesterol.
Choose foods that are high in fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans.
Choose foods with a low amount of saturated fats, such as fish or nuts (without added oils).
Avoid foods with a lot of sodium; these can cause your body to retain water which raises blood pressure levels even higher than normal.5.6.7.8.9.<10
Cut Out High Fat Dairy
One of the best ways to lower your cholesterol is by cutting out high fat dairy products. High-fat dairy products include cheese, cream and butter. These foods contain a lot of saturated fat (the kind that clogs arteries), so they're not good for your heart health. Instead, try low-fat or skimmed milk instead of whole milk or goat's milk if you're going to have cheese on toast or plain yogurt with some fresh fruit as snacks in between meals.
You can also reduce your intake of saturated fats by choosing cottage cheese instead of regular cottage cheese; it has less than 5 grams per serving compared with 14 grams in regular cheddar cheese! You can also try low-fat yoghurt instead - it's high in protein but low in calories too!
Drink Green Tea
Green tea is a natural diuretic, which means it can help reduce water retention in the body. Water is one of the main contributors to high cholesterol levels.
Green tea also has many other benefits for heart health and contains powerful antioxidants that help protect against cell damage from free radicals, which can increase your risk for cancer and other diseases.
The ideal serving size for green tea is one cup per day (about 3-4 ounces).
Stop Smoking
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., and it’s also responsible for an estimated 200,000 heart attacks each year. If you smoke cigarettes or cigars, you increase your risk of developing heart disease by at least 25 percent. In fact, research shows that people who have never smoked are less likely to develop heart disease than those who do—and that includes smokers!
Smoking can also lead to stroke and lung cancer; lung cancer is the most common cancer among men who smoke compared with men who don’t smoke (51 percent vs 29 percent). And if you're a smoker who already has lung problems from smoking cigarettes or cigars regularly over just one year—or even five years—you may be at even higher risk for developing emphysema: long-term damage caused by inhaling large amounts of air over time in a very small space (like your lungs). But there's good news too: quitting smoking can help reverse some of these negative effects on your health!
Lay Off the Meat
Meat is a major source of saturated fat, which can raise your cholesterol levels. It's also high in cholesterol, animal protein and iron — all nutrients you should be eating more of if you want to lower your blood pressure or prevent heart disease.
The good news? You don't need to give up meat entirely — but it's good practice to cut back on red meat (chicken and fish are both healthier options) and choose leaner cuts when possible (a three-ounce steak has about twice as much fat as an egg).
Eat More Fish
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, can help lower cholesterol. Try to eat at least twice a week:
- Salmon
- Halibut
- Mackerel
Eat More Vegetables
Eating more vegetables is another great way to lower your cholesterol. Vegetables are a good source of fiber, which helps reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Fiber also helps lower blood sugar and insulin levels, which can improve heart health by lowering risk for diabetes and obesity.
Vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals that are essential for healthy development of muscles, bones and other organs throughout the body; these nutrients may also prevent some types of cancer such as breast cancer or prostate cancer. Whether you choose fruits or vegetables will depend on what kind of diet you prefer; they're both high in fiber! Examples include:
- Leafy greens like spinach
- Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli sprouts
Get Nuts!
Nuts are a great way to get your heart healthy. They contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, both of which are considered good for lowering cholesterol levels. Nuts also provide fiber, which helps lower cholesterol as well as prevent constipation and other digestive problems.
Nuts can be used in recipes or eaten on their own as snacks. Some examples include:
- Peanut butter on celery
- Almonds mixed with yogurt (or other foods)
Quit Alcohol
If you're looking to lower your cholesterol and heart health, quitting alcohol is a great place to start. Alcohol is a major cause of high cholesterol, so cutting back on it can have a huge impact on your ability to live healthier.
- Try limiting yourself to one drink per day or less—the lower the better!
- Avoid beer and wine which are higher in calories than other types of alcohol (e.g., vodka). Instead switch over to non-alcoholic drinks like water or seltzer water with lime juice added for flavor.
Get enough sleep.
Getting enough sleep is important for your health. Not only does it help you feel better, but it can also be good for your heart and brain, immune system and muscles. The amount of sleep that's right for you depends on several factors such as age or health condition.
For example: If someone has high cholesterol levels (which means their blood contains too much cholesterol), they will need more sleep than someone with normal levels of HDL-C (good cholesterol).
This is because the body needs time to process all the food we eat in order to remove any harmful substances from our bodies before they build up into plaque on our arteries which leads to heart disease or stroke over time if left untreated by taking steps like losing weight or exercising regularly along with proper nutrition throughout each day’s meals depending upon what type diet one follows during those moments when exhaustion hits us unexpectedly out of nowhere at times due simply living life under pressure every day without fail without fail without fail without fail without fail without fail unless otherwise noted otherwise noted otherwise noted otherwise stated excepted excepted excepted excepted excepted excepted excepted excepte
Imagine yourself wearing a white coat.
This is the best way to feel better and take better care of yourself, especially if you are feeling down or upset because of your cholesterol levels. Imagine yourself in front of a doctor's office, getting ready for your appointment. You're going to see how good it feels when you take care of yourself by doing some simple things—like eating healthy foods and exercising regularly! You'll be happy that you did these things so that they can help keep your heart healthy and strong.
If you have high cholesterol, there are things you can do to help yourself lower it without prescription drugs!
If you have high cholesterol, there are things you can do to help yourself lower it without prescription drugs!
- Get more fiber: One of the best ways to lower your cholesterol is by eating more fiber-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. Fiber helps constipation which in turn reduces your risk of developing heart disease.
- Reduce saturated fats: Saturated fat from animal products (like meat) increases blood cholesterol levels while unsaturated fats found in fish oil and vegetable sources such as nuts, seeds, avocados and olive oil have been shown to reduce them.
- Watch the salt intake: Sodium increases blood pressure which makes people prone to strokes or other cardiovascular problems. You should try not using too much salt when preparing meals as well as limiting processed packaged snack foods such as chips/crackers etc.; instead opt for fresh produce loaded with vitamins & minerals that will boost immunity system instead of increasing weight gain.
- Cut out trans fats altogether; these compounds are created during the hydrogenation process when liquid oils are converted into solid ones through heating under pressure at high temperatures which causes them break apart into pieces called “trans fatty acids” (about 50% all types). They behave differently than natural fatty acids found naturally in foods because they don't have any positive health benefits but rather harm our bodies over time due their toxicity properties towards brain development & function
Conclusion
With these tips, we hope you can lower your cholesterol and get the healthiest heart of your life!
Post a Comment