Unhealthy lifestyle choices like lack of adequate physical activity and diet high in saturated fats often cause high cholesterol.
Factors such as smoking, obesity, aging, drinking, generics, and certain underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and liver or kidney disease also increase the risk of high cholesterol.
Cholesterol is present in your blood and it is a fatty substance. It is needed for building and maintaining cell membranes, converting the sunshine to vitamin D, and many other functions which are also important.
1. Lose several pounds
Excess weight can contribute to high cholesterol. Losing even from 10-15 pounds can lower your cholesterol levels. Start with your daily routine, eating habits, and set long-term goals.
2. Exercise
If you exercise regularly you can improve your cholesterol levels. After you consulted with your doctor, you can workout from 30 to 60 minutes every day. Ride a bike, swim, go for a walk. Exercise with a friend, make it fun and stay motivated.
3. Stop smoking
If you smoke you should stop. By quitting you can improve your HDL cholesterol level. There are also other benefits such as decrease of blood pressure (20 minutes after quitting), the decrease of a heart attack (within 24 hours after quitting) and the decrease of heart disease (within one year after quitting).
4. Drink alcohol in moderation
Your levels of HDL cholesterol can be increased by drinking alcohol in moderation. But, it is not recommended to drink alcohol if you already don’t drink it, because the benefits just aren’t strong enough. However, if you decide to drink do it in moderation. This means one to two drink for men and one drink per day for women.
5. Eat vegetables and fruits
Vegetables and fruits are rich in dietary fiber, which can reduce your cholesterol levels. Eat seasonal fruits. Also, eat vegetable-based soups, stir-fries, and casseroles.
6. Natural remedies
Oats are very good to lower your cholesterol. By switching up your breakfast to just two servings of oats can lower by 5% LDL cholesterol in just 6 weeks. Red wine is good to drink for yet another reason for our health. High-fiber Tempranillo, which is found in red grapes, can actually have a big effect on cholesterol levels.
One of the natural health wonders of the world are omega-3 fats which are shown to ward off dementia, heart disease, many other diseases and lower cholesterol. They can be found in salmon and fatty fish. Beans are really good for your heart. By adding 1/2 cup of beans to soup can lower total cholesterol up to 8%.
Tea has already been known for its cancer-fighting antioxidants, but it is also a very good defense against LDL cholesterol levels. Black tea can reduce blood lipids up to 10% in just 3 weeks. Garlic can lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, prevent blood clots and protect against infections. Olive oil in a good cooking ingredient which can help your health. The heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are found in olive oil and they can lower LDL cholesterol.