However, keeping cholesterol levels in check doesn't always require the use of pills that are designed to optimize your heart health. In most cases, making a few small changes to your lifestyle is all it takes to keep your heart healthy and strong.
So what exactly is cholesterol and how can it impact your health? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about cholesterol, including how to keep levels low by making a few minor changes to your shopping list and schedule.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of waxy substance that is present throughout the body. Your body needs cholesterol in small amounts to produce hormones, synthesize Vitamin D, and provide support to the cell membranes. However, having high levels of cholesterol can actually be harmful to health because cholesterol can start to slowly accumulate in the blood vessels, limiting blood flow and inceasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Types of Cholesterol
If you've had your blood drawn and your cholesterol levels tested, you may have noticed that there are several different types of cholesterol. The two main types of cholesterol are classified as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
LDL cholesterol, also known as the "bad cholesterol", makes up the majority of cholesterol in your body. This type of cholesterol is more prone to forming fatty deposits in the arteries, which is why high LDL causes a higher risk for heart problems.
On the other hand, HDL cholesterol is the "good cholesterol", helping to shuttle cholesterol out of the bloodstream and into the liver to keep the arteries clear, which is why maintaining normal HDL levels can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Meanwhile, total cholesterol is a measure of how much LDL and HDL cholesterol you have in your blood. Keeping all of these numbers within range is important for maintaining heart health and preventing disease.
What causes high cholesterol?
Before we dive in on how to lower cholesterol, it is important to understand a few of the factors that can contribute to high cholesterol levels.
Hypercholesterolemia (or high cholesterol), is a common condition estimated to affect nearly 34 million people worldwide. Despite what many believe, a high cholesterol diet isn't always responsible for increased cholesterol levels. In fact, most research shows that dietary cholesterol is not actually linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
The main risk factors for high cholesterol include:
- Poor diet
- Lack of physical activity
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Old Age
- Diabetes
- Family History
High cholesterol treatment typcally involves the use of medications like statins, which reduce cholesterol production in the body to support healthy cholesterol levels. However, there are also plenty of other natural remedies for how to lower cholesterol available, and making even a few minor lifestyle modifications can have a huge impact on overall health.
How to lower cholesterol
In most cases, making just a few simple swaps in your faily routine can be an easy strategy for how to lower your cholesterol. Here are a few natural remedies for high cholesterol, all of which can also help support heart health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
1. Fill up on Fruits and Veggies
There are plenty of reasons to be sure we're eating our fruits and veggies, and maintaining lower cholesterol levels is truly just the tip of the iceberg. This is because fruits and veggies are packed with essential nutrients that can optimize heart health, including fibre and antioxidants. They also contain a wealth of important vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium and Folate.
In addition to enjoying fruits and veggies alone, you can also use them in your smoothies, salads and soups. Try a new fruit or vegetable each week and focus on finding unique ways to add it into your diet. Try this [SMOOTHIE] recipe.
2. Add more healthy fats to your diet
Dietary fats have always had a bad reputation and have been given a bad name as unhealthy and artery-clogging. In reality, this couldn't have been far from the truth. While it’s definitely not advisable to start filling up on the fried foods, bacon, and butter, there are plenty of heart-healthy fats out there that can help keep your cholesterol numbers under control.
Coconut oil, for example, is an example of a heart-healthy fat that has been shown to increase beneficial HDL cholesterol levels, which help to clear out excess bad cholesterol from the arteries. Similarly, some studies have shown that adding olive oil to your diet can reduce levels of bad LDL cholesterol while enhnacing good choletserol levels to support better heart health.
Besides coconut oil and olive oil, other heart-healthy sources of fat include avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish. Need some ideas and inspiration to help increase your fat intake? try this [granola] to squeeze more heart-healthy fats into your daily diet.
3. Cut down on Sugar Consumption
Reducing your sugar intake is one of the easiest methods for how to lower LDL naturally and maintain normal cholesterol levels. It's also a great way to improve your overall health, as foods rich in added sugar like cookies, cakes, soda, and juice contribute little to the diet apart from the added calories and carbs.
Whole fruits, dark chocolate and berries are all easy options to help satisfy your sweet tooth and cut back on sugar cravings. Meanwhile, kombucha and iced tea are a few simple substitues for sugar-rich soda and juice.
4. Eat more fibre
Increasing your fibre intake can be an easy option for reducing cholesterol quickly. Fibre can be found in foods like fruits, veggie and whole grains and they move slowly through the body undigested to support digestive health, blood sugar control, weight loss, and more.
The best way to get more fiber in your diet is by selecting fiber-rich side dishes and snacks to enjoy throughout the day. Whole fruit, veggies with hummus, chia seed pudding, and trail mix are all healthy, high-fiber snack options. Similarly, adding a salad or sautéed veggie side dish to your meal can help effortlessly bump up fiber intake.
5. Use Herbs and Spices
An easy way to lower bad cholesterol is to start stocking up your spice pantry with a few healthy herbs and seasonings that can help to decrease lipid levels while adding a punch of flavour to your favourite foods.
For instance, garlic can help to reduce total and LDL cholesterol when consumed consistently. Tmeric can also help improve LDL cholesterol and triglycerides to enhance heart health. Ginger, cardamom and cinnamon are a few other herbs and spices that have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels as well.
6. Get moving
Making a few simple swaps in your diet will not be sufficient so you may want to consider switching up your exercise routine. Resistance training activities such as weight-lifting or body weight exercises can be an especially useful option for how to lower cholesterol. Cardio, also referred to as aerobic exercise can also be beneficial for heart health as it increases levels of good HDL cholesterol, especially in those with high total cholesterol. Cardio can also promote weight loss, which can help support healthy cholesterol levels.
You should ideally aim for around 20-40 minutes of cardio daily, or between 150-300 minutes over the course of the week. Pair this with at least two days of resistance training per week to maximize results and lower cholesterol.
There are plenty of easy and effective methods on lowering cholesterol levels and enhance heart health. Filling your plate up with whole foods, fitting regular physical activity into your routine, and limiting your consumption of added sugar and processed foods can all help to improve your cholesterol levels and your health.
Try incorporating just a few simple strategies for how to lower cholesterol naturally into your routine each week. This makes it much more manageable to make longer lasting changes that can help to prevent heart disease and improve your overall health.
Stay happy and healthy!
With love,
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