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| Photo by Natalie Grainger on Unsplash |
How
do I lower my cholesterol? A high level of
cholesterol doesn’t happen overnight – it takes time and a process until it
develops into something dangerous. Cholesterol itself is a wax-like substance
that flows in your body.
Your
body needs the presence of cholesterol for a lot of things, one of them is to
build healthy cells. However, high levels of cholesterol can lead to dangerous
conditions – one of them is heart disease.
Letting
your body have a high level of bad cholesterol will encourage your organ to
develop fatty deposits. The bad news is that the deposits are now living in
your blood vessels. When the deposits grow bigger, they block blood to flow
uninterruptedly. When the deposits are big enough, they may break and cause
strokes and heart attacks.
So,
what should you do to lower your cholesterol level? Seeing a doctor will allow
you to access the prescribed meds. Meanwhile, changing your lifestyle and
balancing the diet will be the next things you have to do.
Lifestyle changes to lower cholesterol
How
do I lower my cholesterol? Why is cholesterol
a big deal?
As
has been mentioned earlier, cholesterol can lead to dangerous health conditions
such as heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Even though meds will help to
improve the level, changing your lifestyle will bring long-term joy to your
life. Other than that, even if you’ve taken meds from the doctor, following a
healthier lifestyle would prevent your cholesterol to ruin your life in the
future.
Eat heart-friendly foods
Changing
your diet would lead to a stable cholesterol level. On the other hand, it leads
to healthier heart health.
Heart-friendly
foods include those with low to non-saturated fats. Saturated fats are commonly
found in fatty dairy products and red meat. Limiting your consumption of those
fatty sources will improve your cholesterol.
Trans
fats are the next thing your health won’t approve. This thing is found in
margarine and cookies. By January 1, 2021, the FDA will ban the use of
partially hydrogenated veg oils.
Meanwhile,
you can boost your consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, soluble fiber, and whey
protein. Flaxseeds, walnut, herring, mackerel, and salmon are among those that
contain a bunch of omega-3 fatty acids. To increase your soluble fiber intake,
you can include brussels sprouts, kidney beans, oatmeal, pears, and apples as
part of your diet.
Move your body
Exercises
have to be part of your daily activities. You don’t have to go to the gym every
day since you can do it three times a week. On the other hand, moving your body
at home is also a good idea.
If
your work seems like an obstacle, you can start by cycling to work and take a
brisk walk during lunchtime. When you have time to workout, feel free to play
your favorite sports. Sometimes a gym buddy or an exercise group will keep you
motivated. Thus, make your time for exercise.
No smoking
Smoking
is linked to various health conditions, one of them is high cholesterol.
Stopping or even quitting smoking will improve your HDL level. The good news is
that the relief comes over quickly.
10
minutes of quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure recover from the spike
caused by the cigarette. Three months of quitting bring you to better blood
circulation and lung function improvements. Within a year, your risk to develop
heart disease drops up to half of a smoker. So, how
do I lower my cholesterol? If you smoke, do
consider quitting.
Lose weight
A high
level of cholesterol is more common in obese people. Losing your weight will
decrease your risk factor. Other than that, reducing the consumption of sugary
drinks also helps big time. Meanwhile, you can try jelly beans or sherbets that
contain no fat when sweet cravings come over.
Losing
weight also needs to be accompanied by an active daily life. Thus, exercising
is highly recommended to reach your health goal and ideal body weight. Taking a
walk or cooking often is a good idea to start your lose weight journey.
Limit alcohol intake
Being
sober is such a challenge for a lot of people. Drinking no alcohol at all may
also seem impossible and may take a while to adapt to that new lifestyle. On
the other hand, drinking no alcohol dramatically reduces your risk factors for
developing high cholesterol levels.
Meanwhile,
if being sober is not an option right now, you can start by limiting your
alcohol intake. Limiting one to two drinks per day would bring a great
difference in your life. Besides, too much alcohol is not good for your health.
Natural remedies for cholesterol
1. Niacin
Niacin
is rich in vitamin B. doctors recommend supplements rich in niacin for people
with high cholesterol or heart conditions. This supplement helps to balance the
cholesterol level in your body and lets the blood do its job.
Other
than supplements, you can catch this substance in chicken and liver. Keep in
mind that this supplement is under the doctor’s recommendation.
2. Soy protein
How
do I lower my cholesterol? You can start by
consuming protein derived from soy. Steamed soy beans, soy milk, and tofu would
be a group of foods you must consume to lower your cholesterol level. They are
rich in protein but no need to worry about saturated fats.
3. Red yeast rice
Red
yeast rice is yeast-fermented white rice. The fermentation causes the reddish
color on the rice. This food has been used for traditional meds in China for
centuries. Today, you can also catch the supplements.
4. Flaxseed
Flaxseeds
are derived from blue flowers only found in temperate areas. The flowers
produce seeds and oils, which are generous sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Reducing cholesterol with flax can be done by using the oil or the ground seed.
Eating whole flaxes is impossible since the body cannot break the seed’s outer
shell.
Read also :
What To Do To Lower Your Blood Pressure
Conclusion
High
cholesterol levels are a nightmare for everyone. Thus, staying away from the
triggers and improving your lifestyle is essential. And this is anything you
need to know about how do I lower my cholesterol.
