13 Things You Must Do to Reduce Cholesterol - Lifestyle & Diet Tips
Cholesterol is a lipid (fat) that liver
produces. Every cell of human body contains cholesterol in their outer layer.
When a person follows healthy diet and exercises, it helps them maintain
correct cholesterol levels. It strikes a balance between HDL (good cholesterol)
and LDL (bad cholesterol) thereby protecting from the risk of infarction,
stroke and several other diseases including Alzheimer's. Here are few simple steps
to keep one's cholesterol levels naturally without taking drugs.
1. Lose weight
Overweight causes increase in harmful
cholesterol and lesser activity decreases good cholesterol. So one should lose
weight and exercise more if required. Even if one loses two - four kilograms,
they will be able to lose considerable amount of cholesterol.
Shedding extra weight works well for
many reasons - from improving cholesterol balance to averting epidemic diseases
in mechanized societies including diabetes (type 2), blood pressure, strokes,
heart attacks, gouts and even cancers.
So one should control the intake of fat
and even if it is the good type of fats such as olive oil as any fat is filled
with calories. Over consumption of fats could lead to overweight.
2. Start your day with
oatmeal
One of the best foods for defending
against cholesterol is oatmeal. Apart from the insoluble fiber content, it also
contains a soluble fiber namely - beta glucan, which has positive impact on
one's body. It slows down gastric emptying, promotes better satiety,
improves blood circulation, controls blood sugar levels and reduces the
assimilation of cholesterol in the body. It has the capability to reduce total
cholesterol levels, triglycerides & total lipids and also increases the
level of good cholesterol (HDL) considerably. Eat oat bran and cold oat cereals
such as Cheerios.
3. Exercise
Exercising has the advantage of lowering
the bad (LDL) cholesterol levels by nature and also increases HDL. One should
try to fit in exercises into their routine.
4. Reduced intake of
saturated fats, red meat & dairy products
Too much of saturated fat could increase
one’s cholesterol levels. Same is the case with eating excess of sugars and
refined carbohydrates since these will be transformed into saturated fats. One
should keep away from eating saturated fats contained in red meat and several
dairy products. These raise the levels of bad cholesterol.
It is advised that one
should limit consumption of saturated fats to such an extent that only maximum
of 10% of every day calorie count should come from such fats.
5. Eat fiber-rich foods
Foods that are naturally loaded with
soluble fibers have been confirmed to be good at reducing cholesterol levels.
Such foods include barley, oat bran, oats, peas, sweet potatoes (& other
varieties of potatoes), yams, in addition to legumes or beans, for example,
black beans, pinto beans and garbanzo beans. Vegetables that contain high
amount of soluble fiber include carrots, okra, beets and eggplant while fruits
include berries.
6.
Avoid trans-fats
Trans-fats enhance levels of bad
cholesterol while lowering the good cholesterol. They tend to amplify clotting
factors and increases inflammation, damaging one’s cardiovascular health.
Trans-fats are contained in processed food items such as greasy fast foods,
margarines, processed vegetable oils and even in baked products that contain
hydrogenated vegetable oils or partly hydrogenated vegetable oil or vegetable
fats. Such items include cakes, pastries and biscuits.
7. Get 8-10 hours of
sleep every night
Lack of sleep boosts bad (low-density
LDL) cholesterol which leads to high blood pressure and overeating. If a person
snores, or feels extremely sleepy during the day, they should be examined for
one of the usual but dangerous sleep disorder – “sleep apnea”.
8. Eat and/or drink
more color
Vegetables
& fruits are good sources that
aid in lowering LDLs. Specific foods that help include, onions, garlic, apples,
avocados, pears, berries, cabbage & its family of foods, dark leafy greens
and eggplant. Such foods are full of antioxidants which keep the circulating
cholesterol from getting oxidized. Oxidized cholesterols in particular are very
harmful. Vegetables & fruits also have soluble fibers and phyto-sterols.
9. Check your Vitamin D
level
Deficiency of vitamin D is associated to
high levels of cholesterol. As a person gets old, the ability of their body to
produce vitamin D from sun weakens. So one should check their vitamin D levels
via blood tests and if it is low, they should take vitamin D supplements every
day.
10. Watch the Salt
Foods available these days are already
overloaded with sodium but still we add salts to increase flavor. At times some
don’t even taste the foods before adding salts. The issue is that regular
iodized salt adds to one’s sodium levels, Imbalanced sodium level increases the
levels of hypertension, which when mingled with high cholesterol levels could
lead to trouble.
If one has to add salt in their foods,
they have to make sure it is the regular sea salt or Himalayan salt. They
should refrain from using the refined salt
11. Include foods rich
in phyto-sterol
Food that is rich in phyto-sterol
attaches itself with cholesterol inside the intestines, and cuts down the
absorption of LDL cholesterol. Phyto-sterols are more or less similar to
cholesterol in their structure and also have a protective effect on heart. Add
phyto-sterols rich foods in your regular diet such as nuts which includes
almonds, walnuts pistachios & macadamias; seeds like sunflower seeds,
sesame and flaxseed, avocados, pumpkin; and cold pressed natural oils such as
sesame oil, flaxseed oil, pumpkin oil etc.
12. Quit Smoking
Quit smoking as soon as possible.
Smoking is not only bad for our general health, but also reduces our good HDL
cholesterol levels. It slows down the body’s natural ability to fight bad LDL
cholesterol.
13. Alcohol consumption
Consumption of alcoholic beverages at
smaller quantities can be associated with improved levels of HDL (good)
cholesterol. However, the advantages are not sufficient enough to prescribe
alcohol for those who do not consume alcohol. So when one chooses to consume
alcohol, they should try to limit the consumption.
For healthy individuals, it is proposed
that they consume maximum of one drink per day (includes most women and men
above 65 years of age). For men lesser than 65 years, maximum of two drinks a
day.