Pharmaceutical companies may be dishing out more and more potent drugs to battle with cholesterol, but you can always learn about how to lower cholesterol naturally to unhook from long term drug therapy or to gain better control of your health in adjunct with drug therapy.
When you are learning how to lower cholesterol naturally, you will discover that a variety of healthy foods are there to bring down your cholesterol. Practicing these ways on how to lower cholesterol naturally will let you experience the benefits of good health without unfavorable side effects from drugs.
- Exercise
- Increase fish intake
- Cut down on saturated fat
- More fiber intake
- Drink green tea
- Take unsaturated fat
- Avoid foods with high trans fat
- Enjoy some red wine
When you begin learning on how to lower cholesterol naturally, exercise is an important activity which you shall not overlook in order to achieve your goal. The benefits and importance of exercise cannot be emphasized enough. Your couch-sitting habit should take a pause and be taken over by daily workouts. You can go jogging, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, weight-lifting or any physical exercises which makes you move and sweat. Try to follow a regular schedule, like a 30-minute session for 5-7 days a week. Doing this consistently will reduce the bad cholesterol level while increasing the good cholesterol level and promoting good cardiovascular health.
If you haven’t been eating fish regularly, change your meal plans to include 2-3 servings of fish every week. You may substitute a few servings of bacon and steak with fish instead. Fatty fish like salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel and sardine provide you with Omega-3 fatty acid which reduces triglyceride level and improves heart function.
When you take too much saturated fat and cholesterol from your diet, more LDL and its more damaging form-the oxidized LDL will be present in your body. So, if you control your intake of saturated fat, all these detrimental effects can be reversed. Choose less oily and fatty food for your meals and cut back on animal fat and oil when cooking. It is best to remove the poultry skin and fat layers so that only lean meat remains for a healthier diet.
The type of fiber useful in lowering the bad cholesterol level is the soluble fiber, which exists in cholesterol lowering foods like oat bran, barley, psyllium products, apples and nuts. The beta-glucan type of fiber in these foods is able to attach to the bad cholesterol in your gastrointestinal tract before excreting the cholesterol in your feces. About 20-30g/day of dietary fiber is recommended for an effective dietary change to lower cholesterol. If you are taking 2 servings of oatmeal daily, you can expect about 5% reduction of LDL after 6 weeks.
Studies have shown a link between green tea consumption and lower cholesterol level. This is attributed to the green tea leaves which are enriched with free radicals-fighting polyphenols. Polyphenols help to reduce total cholesterol level and increase high-density lipoprotein level. This prevents accumulation of lipid and hardening of the blood vessels. You may consume about 2-3 glasses of green tea a day to enjoy the lipid-lowering benefits.
When you reduce intake of saturated fat, your cholesterol level may begin to drop but you can get even more effective cholesterol level reduction when you substitute saturated fat with unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat commonly exists in plant sources and these include sunflower oil, avocado, canola and olive oil. Adding these cholesterol lowering foods to your food not only lowers LDL, but also increases the good cholesterol level in your body.
Food like margarine, fast food, crackers, pastries, chips and cookies may contain high level of trans fat- which is partially hydrogenated fat that clogs your blood vessels and affect cardiovascular health. The trans fatty acid increases the bad cholesterol level in your body and reduces the good cholesterol level. Therefore, the intake of food with trans fat should be minimized or avoided.
Moderate alcohol consumption is reported to be beneficial in reducing risk of coronary heart disease with red wine being the most recommended alcoholic beverage. The powerful flavanoid in grape skin and seeds used to produce red wine can lower LDL and increase HDL. Taking a glass of wine after your meal may help to regulate lipid level.
Most of the ways on how to lower cholesterol naturally involve incorporating dietary changes and physical exercises in your daily lifestyle. When you follow the dos and don’ts in selecting your meals, you will have a healthy diet to lower cholesterol for your health and wellbeing.
