5 Tips To Deal With High Cholesterol
Unhealthy cholesterol levels are being detected in young adults and even in teens these days. You must have heard that high blood cholesterol is an established risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Having said that, high blood cholesterol does not necessarily mean that you’ll suffer from cardiovascular disease.
Here are some tips to help you deal with high cholesterol and keep your risk levels low.
#1 Manage other cardiovascular risk factors
Whilst you target towards bringing down your cholesterol level, try to address some grave risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular risk. These factors include quitting smoking if you smoke, maintaining your blood pressure and blood sugar in healthy limits. Also, work towards losing weight as being overweight or obese is a cardiovascular risk factor by itself. Weight loss can help bring down your bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL).
#2 Get regular physical activity
Physical activity has been shown to increase good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol. This effect may be independent of the impact of exercise on body weight and it does not require a gym routine or rigorous exercise regime. Just get hold of a good pair of walking shoes and walk for at least thirty minutes every day.
#3 Take more good fats
Some fats such as those found in nuts like walnuts, almonds, pistachios are good for your heart and arteries. Consuming them in moderation can help you get a favorable cholesterol profile by increasing your good cholesterol and lowering your bad cholesterol. The crux is to watch your total calorie intake so that it does not hamper your weight loss goals. A small handful of nuts without added salt or sugar are any day a healthy option. Additionally, cut down on the intake of saturated fat, which is primarily found in packaged foods and bakery products. Switch to low-fat milk, egg white, and lean meats to continue getting your proteins without consuming too much fat.
#4 Reduce your stress level
There are two important reasons why you must work towards stress reduction. One, it has an adverse effect on blood pressure, which is a risk factor that you need to guard against. Second, there is some evidence that it negatively impacts cholesterol levels, i.e. increases bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol. So, try to keep stress at bay.
#5 Read your food labels carefully
You need to be extra careful when reading food labels at grocery stores. “Zero cholesterol” is a popular marketing strategy to trap health-conscious buyers. But zero cholesterol does not equate to zero saturated fat. Look at the saturated fat content on the product. In general, you should be taking no more than 15 gms of saturated fat from all sources in a day. The top sources of saturated fat in the modern diet are packaged foods and bakery products.
Conclusively, you need to follow the tips suggested here to see it for yourself, how dealing with high cholesterol is more about the matter of choice. So, choose to live healthy!
If you have any queries related to high cholesterol or cardiovascular system, feel free to contact a Cardiologist at www.healthcaremagic.com
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