Do you have high cholesterol and need to lower it? This is not surprising considering how many people have high cholesterol these days. Lower Cholesterol to help you, here are 10 tips, you can start with today.
As with anything health related, diet and exercise are two important components. What you eat is important for lowering your cholesterol levels, so that's what is included here.
One thing you need to know is the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol. Just think of HDL as "healthy" and LDL as the "bad." HDL can actually help carry cholesterol from the blood vessels while LDL allows it to deposit inside your artery walls.
The good news is that you can change your cholesterol for the better. Here's how to do it:
1. Have a nice sandwich whole wheat bread or a pita with some lean turkey and lots of fresh vegetables. Skip the hot dogs, bologna, and salami, and hold the Mayo. All those are highly processed and full of fat and cholesterol.
2. Fish such as salmon, either. Looking for wild red salmon varieties, which are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids (good fat.) Also, flax seed is a good source of Omega-3.
3. Avoid Trans Fats! Not only did they increase bad LDL cholesterol, they can also lower your HDL levels! Stay away from foods such as margarine, butter, and processed foods containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
4. Go ahead, go nuts! Looking for walnuts mainly but also try almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews and pecans. Nuts are high in fat, but it was kind of nice. (Also, use natural peanut butter instead of the normal kind which contains unhealthy Tran’s fats.)
5. Limiting desserts and try to eat only healthy as angel food cake, graham crackers, Jell-O, and fat-free frozen yogurt.
6. Eat foods high in fiber. Examples include whole wheat bread, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and some cereals. (Look for the boxes that say "may help lower cholesterol.")
7. Use the grill. If you are going to have steak or burgers, grill them at home and use the meat. This practice avoids the grease, fun, and the meat tastes great.
8. Find a new salad dressing. Most of them are full of saturated fat and cholesterol. Olive oil is good, and maybe adds vinegar or lemon juice. Also, skip the bacon bits, croutons, and egg yolks.
9. Go overboard on fruits and vegetables. They contain no cholesterol and they have lots of nutrients like antioxidants.
Here are some examples: green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, mango, papaya, pineapple, tomatoes, garlic, onions, spinach, water chestnuts, bananas, apricots, blueberries, and kiwi.
10. Avoid fast food like French fries and anything else from the deep fryer. These foods will increase your cholesterol like crazy, so stay away from the burger joints if you can.
11. Bonus tip: Use spices like pepper and oregano to add flavor to your dishes. They are a healthy alternative to other toppings like Mayo.
That's easy, is not it? Just make some of these changes and get plenty of exercise such as walking, jogging, swimming or playing basketball. You will have lower cholesterol in no time!
As with anything health related, diet and exercise are two important components. What you eat is important for lowering your cholesterol levels, so that's what is included here.
One thing you need to know is the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol. Just think of HDL as "healthy" and LDL as the "bad." HDL can actually help carry cholesterol from the blood vessels while LDL allows it to deposit inside your artery walls.
The good news is that you can change your cholesterol for the better. Here's how to do it:
1. Have a nice sandwich whole wheat bread or a pita with some lean turkey and lots of fresh vegetables. Skip the hot dogs, bologna, and salami, and hold the Mayo. All those are highly processed and full of fat and cholesterol.
2. Fish such as salmon, either. Looking for wild red salmon varieties, which are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids (good fat.) Also, flax seed is a good source of Omega-3.
3. Avoid Trans Fats! Not only did they increase bad LDL cholesterol, they can also lower your HDL levels! Stay away from foods such as margarine, butter, and processed foods containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
4. Go ahead, go nuts! Looking for walnuts mainly but also try almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews and pecans. Nuts are high in fat, but it was kind of nice. (Also, use natural peanut butter instead of the normal kind which contains unhealthy Tran’s fats.)
5. Limiting desserts and try to eat only healthy as angel food cake, graham crackers, Jell-O, and fat-free frozen yogurt.
6. Eat foods high in fiber. Examples include whole wheat bread, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and some cereals. (Look for the boxes that say "may help lower cholesterol.")
7. Use the grill. If you are going to have steak or burgers, grill them at home and use the meat. This practice avoids the grease, fun, and the meat tastes great.
8. Find a new salad dressing. Most of them are full of saturated fat and cholesterol. Olive oil is good, and maybe adds vinegar or lemon juice. Also, skip the bacon bits, croutons, and egg yolks.
9. Go overboard on fruits and vegetables. They contain no cholesterol and they have lots of nutrients like antioxidants.
Here are some examples: green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, mango, papaya, pineapple, tomatoes, garlic, onions, spinach, water chestnuts, bananas, apricots, blueberries, and kiwi.
10. Avoid fast food like French fries and anything else from the deep fryer. These foods will increase your cholesterol like crazy, so stay away from the burger joints if you can.
11. Bonus tip: Use spices like pepper and oregano to add flavor to your dishes. They are a healthy alternative to other toppings like Mayo.
That's easy, is not it? Just make some of these changes and get plenty of exercise such as walking, jogging, swimming or playing basketball. You will have lower cholesterol in no time!