Lifestyle modifications can help lower your cholesterol levels and enhance the cholesterol-lowering effects of prescription drugs.
The presence of cholesterol can increase your chances of suffering from heart diseases and heart attacks. The use of medications can improve your cholesterol. However, if you’d prefer to first adopt lifestyle changes to lower your cholesterol levels, try these five healthy lifestyle changes for Cholesterol care.
If you’re already taking medications these changes could enhance the effects of cholesterol reduction.
1. Consume Heart-Healthy food
Some changes to your diet can lower cholesterol levels and improve heart health
- Cut down on saturated fats. Saturated fats, typically found in red meat and all-fat dairy products, can raise your cholesterol levels overall. Reducing your intake of saturated fats will lower the amount of your cholesterol levels. Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which is the “bad” cholesterol.
- Remove trans-fats. Trans fats, often identified on labels of food products with the label “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil,” are frequently utilized in margarines as well as biscuits, crackers and cakes. Trans fats increase overall cholesterol levels. They also increase cholesterol levels. The Food and Drug Administration has been able to ban using partially hydrogenated vegetable oils until January. 1st, 2021.
- Consume foods that are rich in omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fatty acids do not affect LDL cholesterol. However, they also have cardiovascular benefits, like reducing blood pressure. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in many foods. include mackerel and salmon herring, walnuts, flaxseeds and herring.
- Increase the amount of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber can help reduce cholesterol’s absorption into the bloodstream. Soluble fiber is present in many foods, including kidney beans, oatmeal Brussels sprouts, apple, and the pears.
- Incorporate Whey protein. Whey protein, present in dairy products, can be responsible for a lot of aspects of health advantages that are attributed to dairy. Research has shown that the consumption of whey protein as a supplement reduces the risk of both LDL Total cholesterol, cholesterol, as and blood pressure.
2. You should exercise on a majority of days of the week, and you should boost your physical fitness
Exercise can help lower cholesterol levels. Regular physical activity can increase the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is the “good” cholesterol. With the approval of your physician, take up minimum 30 minutes of vigorous exercise 5 times per week or intense aerobic exercise for 20 minutes 3 times per week.
Engaging in physical exercise at a minimal level, every day, will assist you in losing weight. Consider:
- Walking briskly every day in your lunch time
- Bicycling to work
- A favorite sport to play
For motivation, you might consider having a friend to exercise with or joining an exercise club.
3. Stop Smoking
Quitting smoking can improve your HDL cholesterol levels. The benefits are immediate:
- Within 20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate returns to normal from the spike caused by smoking cigarettes.
- After three months after quitting, your lung and blood circulation function start to improve.
- Within one year of quitting smoking, the risk of suffering from heart disease is about half that of those who smoke
4. Lose Weight
Even a few extra pounds is a contributing factor to high cholesterol. Little changes can make a big difference. If you drink a lot of sugary drinks Switch towards tap water. Enjoy popcorn with air-popped popcorn or pretzels – however, be aware of calories. If you want something sweet, you can try candies or sherbet that have low or no fat, like jelly beans.
Try to find strategies to integrate more physical activity into your routine, for example, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking further away from your workplace. Walk between breaks at work. Make sure you are doing more standing like cooking or working on the yard.
5. Only Drink Alcohol in Moderation
The moderate consumption of alcohol has been associated with higher levels of HDL cholesterol, however, the benefits aren’t enough to suggest alcohol to people who don’t already drink.
If you consume alcohol, take it slowly. For healthy adults, this is one drink per day to women and men of every age, those over 65, and as much as two drinks per day for males aged 65 or younger.
Alcohol consumption can cause serious health issues, like high blood pressure, heart failure, strokes and strokes.
If lifestyle changes don’t suffice,
Sometimes, lifestyle changes that are healthy and beneficial don’t suffice to reduce cholesterol levels. If your physician recommends medication to lower cholesterol levels, you should take the medication as directed while continuing your lifestyle adjustments. Lifestyle changes can help reduce the dosage of your medication.