Today’s busy schedules and demanding work keep people a bit careless about their overall health. Most of the time, they would just rely on fast food, neglect exercise, and waste away on vices for recreation. Sedentary living also contributes a lot to an unhealthy state of health. One indicator that you are not at your healthiest is your cholesterol level.
Cholesterol itself is not bad at all. In fact, it is very important for your body to maintain cell membranes. Bad cholesterol levels should be carefully monitored and lowered to make sure that you don’t end up with cardiovascular diseases. Here are some effective ways to make sure that you have low bad cholesterol levels:
1. Possible target
In lowering bad cholesterol levels, you should have a steady target in mind. It really depends on your family history or lifestyle. If you are at a high risk of having high bad cholesterol levels, then you should talk to your doctor about the right target level that you should maintain. This would help you and your doctor come up with more means to accelerate the lowering of your bad cholesterol levels. Cooperation is the key to your health’s improvement.
2. Prescribed medications
Prescribed medications significantly help in lowering bad cholesterol levels. Fibrates (Lopid—gemfibrozil), bile acid resins (Questran—cholestyramine and Zetia—ezetimibe), statins, and niacin are favored by doctors as effective ones. Statins are known to lower bad cholesterol levels by 20 to 50 percent.
3. Activities
Another key to lowering bad cholesterol levels is regular exercise. It really doesn’t matter what kind of movement that you do. You just have to make sure that it is on a regular basis. Even if you have a desk job, walking for 5 minutes per hour could get your bad cholesterol levels lowered.
4. No saturated fats
It is said that in order to lower bad cholesterol levels, it is clear that you should decrease your intake of food items that are rich in cholesterol like eggs. You should concentrate on taking in more of the good or unsaturated fats like canola oil, sunflower oil, or olive oil and eating less meat.
5. Increase fiber
To lower bad cholesterol levels, soluble fiber must be added more into your diet. This means that you would have to eat more vegetables and fruits. The soluble fiber present in these types of food soak up all the cholesterol and help in expelling them out of your body on a regular basis.
6. Eat fish
Fish oil and fish meat are very good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. This really helps in lowering bad cholesterol levels. If you are considering taking fish oil supplements, you should check with your doctor if you are on anti-clot medications.
7. Alcohol
Studies show that alcohol intake in moderation increases the HDL or the good cholesterol in your system by about ten percent. One drink a day is enough for women and about two for men. But if you do consider adding alcohol in your diet to lower bad cholesterol levels, you should ask your doctor first.
8. Green tea
Green tea is also said to lower bad cholesterol levels. This is the best replacement for sodas and other drinks that are high in sugar.
9. Nuts
Munching on nuts could very well lower bad cholesterol levels. Almonds and walnuts are given focus here. But you should make sure that you just have a handful everyday.
10. Better than margarine
Spreads that are like margarine are healthier alternatives than actual margarine, butter, or shortening. They help lower bad cholesterol levels especially if they are fortified with stanols.
11. No smoking
Everybody knows that if you stop smoking, you increase the lowering of the good cholesterol in your system. So stop smoking if you want to live healthy and lower bad cholesterol levels instead.
A change in lifestyle would definitely do so much in lowering your bad cholesterol levels. Health consciousness and trying your best to maintain optimal health really reinforce that drive to lower bad cholesterol levels. Being cooperative with your doctor would also benefit you in this aspect. Most people don’t succeed in this goal because of plain stubbornness and ignorance. Keeping your mind open to positive change and increasing your knowledge about cholesterol would really help you in the long run. If you follow the helpful ways to decrease your high cholesterol, then you can be assured that you are on your way to a stroke-free life. It may not be easy at first but with discipline and vigilance, you will achieve the ultimate goal of lowering your bad cholesterol levels.