Millions of people battle borderline to high cholesterol levels. This is a serious problem because it can significantly increase one's risk for heart disease. Many people take medication but may actually prefer to try to make simple changes in their lifestyle which are proven to help lower cholesterol. If you have borderline to high cholesterol and would prefer to try to lower it while improving your health overall, following are 4 simple steps you can take:
1. Exercise regularly
It goes without saying that exercise is good for your health. Eating heart healthy foods, healthy snacks, and taking vitamins and minerals are all good measures, but increasing your daily activity needs to be an important component if you really want to help lower or manage your cholesterol levels. Even if you are at your perfect weight, exercise is essential.
By exercising at a moderate level on a regular basis, preferably daily, you can increase your HDL (good) cholesterol. Increasing your HDL is important because one of its primary jobs is to clean up excess LDL in your arteries and carry it back to your liver for processing. Aim for at least a half hour and work up to an hour at least five days per week. While going to the gym is great, if you want to stick with it and stay motivated it's best to engage in types of exercise that you truly enjoy, such as swimming or biking. It can also help to find a friend to exercise with you, or take an exercise class.
2. Drop the unwanted weight
Whether you're just a few pounds overweight or more than that, any extra weight can cause your cholesterol levels to go up. You can quickly start to lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol by losing just a few pounds. The best way is to combine a regular exercise routine with healthy eating habits which include foods low in saturated fats and cholesterol. Bottom line: you need to burn more calories than you take in if you want to lose weight.
3. Eat foods which are good for your heart and your health
Many of us have deeply ingrained habits when it comes to food. But, habits can be changed. Even a few simple dietary changes can impact your cholesterol levels in a very positive way. Rather than avoiding fat altogether, choose foods which contain heart healthy fats (known as monounsaturated fats), such as olive oil.
Start making changes in your diet by eating heart healthy foods and heart healthy snacks which are high in nutrition and lower in unhealthy fats (Trans and Saturated Fats) and calories. If you must snack, stock up on fresh vegetables, fruit, and healthy snacks made with whole grains and fortified with plant sterols like Corazonas Whole Grain Tortilla Chips, reduced fat Potato Chips and Oatmeal Squares. Not only are these lower in calories and unhealthy fats than highly processed foods, they are the only snacks clinically proven to help lower your cholesterol. Keep a food diary so you can track exactly what you are eating.
Also, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as raw nuts. They are rich in nutrients including plant sterols, which benefit your cholesterol levels. Last but not least, eat more fatty fish which are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. The best fish for this are salmon, trout, sardines, herring, albacore tuna, and mackerel.
4. Reduce your intake of junk foods and highly processed foods
While it's important to eat more heart healthy foods and healthy snack foods, you also need to simultaneously reduce foods which aren't good for you. These include many so-called "diet foods" which often contain a lot of sugar and trans fats. Any time you see the word "hydrogenated" on the label, it contains trans fats. These are bad for your health and can contribute to high cholesterol. Most crackers and cookies, as well a multitude of cereals contain high amounts of trans fats. We know that snacking is part of the American diet so making wise snacking choices are important. Please remember that all food has calories so it is important to balance your food choices so you maintain a healthy weight which helps contribute to a healthy heart.
Start making these changes today and you should soon see a positive impact on your cholesterol level, not to mention your overall health!
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