Lifestyle Changes That Can Really Help Reduce Cholesterol Levels
With today's strive for a healthier lifestyle, it is not uncommon to come across individuals attempting to decrease their cholesterol. While some cholesterol in necessary maintaining a healthy body, too much can be extremely detrimental. So as we go about trying to live a healthy life, how do we reduce cholesterol? A few simple lifestyle changes can help one get back on track and avoid the unwanted heart disease or stroke down the road.
As we have often heard, body weight plays a major role in our health. It rings true when wanting to lower total cholesterol. Harboring a few extra pounds can contribute to ones overall unhealthy being as well as increasing those critical cholesterol numbers. If you are seriously searching for solutions to lowering cholesterol, an honest evaluation of the foods you choose to consume as well as the amount you eat.
Commit to losing those extra pounds to help decrease those cholesterol levels. Once you clearly see what types of foods you are drawn to, you must make a conscience decision to change to make a difference in your health. One of the main offending foods in many diets today is the red meat category. Saturated fats found in meats of this type cause higher cholesterol levels and they are not alone.
Dairy products also have saturated fats. Avoiding these foods and opting for leaner meats and low-fat foods are healthier choices at mealtime. Moreover, consuming fruits and vegetables can give one a great advantage when attempting to reduce cholesterol. While foods containing saturated fats increase ones "bad" cholesterol (LDL), fiber rich foods like fruits and vegetables assist the body in the elimination of this unwanted "bad" cholesterol.
After you have made these adjustments in your diet, you can move on to a few others including adding foods high in omega-3 fatty acids. This substance also helps lower your LDL and is commonly found in salmon, mackerel and herring. Another lifestyle change that will improve your overall health is to get some moderate exercise daily.
Obviously one needs to be cleared by their physician, but implementing up to one hour of exercise a day will go along way in helping you reduce cholesterol. Exercise has a dual effect on cholesterol, not only does it decrease your "bad" cholesterol (LDL) but it also helps raise your "good" cholesterol (HDL). The activity does not have to be pain staking. Find something that you enjoy to ensure staying with the exercise.
And not to overlook habits, if you are a smoker you are lowering your HDL ("good" cholesterol) which in turn increases your LDL ("bad" cholesterol). If you eliminate this habit from your life, within one year you will decrease your chance of a heart disease by fifty percent. Sometimes individuals discover that lifestyle changes alone are not enough to significantly reduce cholesterol to a healthy level and are faced with taking prescription medication. Following the advice of your physician in combination with healthy living will only extend the productive years you will be given on this earth.
