Managing your cholesterol is crucial for maintaining optimal heart health. High cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke, but the good news is that you can lower it with the right lifestyle changes. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to reduce your cholesterol effectively with easy-to-follow, expert-backed tips.
1. Eat More Soluble Fiber
Eat more soluble fiber if you want to reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Soluble fiber helps remove cholesterol by binding to it and eliminating it through the digestive system.
Where you can find it: Soluble fibre is found in foods like oats and lentils. Apples and pears also contain soluble fiber. Add oats or pears to your morning breakfast.
Recommended intake is 10 to 25 grams of soluble fibre per day. This small change in your diet can have a big impact on improving cholesterol levels.
2. Choose Healthy Fats
Not all fats can be harmful to your heart. It is important to choose healthy fats which help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL), while increasing good cholesterol (HDL). Unsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in olive oil, avocados, and fatty fish are excellent choices.
Healthy fat sources: Include foods such as salmon, mackerel, and walnuts in your diet.
Why does it work? According to the American Heart Association, swapping saturated fats for unsaturated ones (found in red meat or full-fat dairy products) can lower cholesterol and improve heart health.
3. Omega-3 Fatty acids are essential for a healthy diet
Omega-3 fatty acids are not only good for the brain, but also for the heart. These healthy fats lower triglycerides, another type of fat found in the bloodstream and reduce heart disease risk.
Where you can find them: Fatty seafood like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are rich in Omega-3s. You can include walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds in your diet for plant-based sources.
Regular consumption of omega-3s can reduce the risk of heart disease and improve cholesterol levels. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends eating fatty salmon at least twice per week to maintain optimal heart health.
4. Reduce Cholesterol-Rich Foods
Certain foods can increase your LDL level. You should limit the amount of foods such as egg yolks and organ meats in your diet.
Tip: To help you manage your cholesterol, aim for no more than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. This is the recommendation of the American College of Cardiology.
5. Avoid Trans Fats
Trans fats can be harmful to health. These fats are often found in packaged and processed foods like fast food, pastries and fried snacks. Trans fats increase LDL cholesterol while lowering HDL cholesterol. This puts additional strain on the heart.
Quick tip: Read food labels carefully for “partially-hydrogenated oils” and avoid them whenever possible. This will help you keep your cholesterol under control.
6. Get Regular Exercise
Physical activity can be a very effective way to lower LDL (“bad”) and increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Regular exercise can also improve heart health by reducing inflammation and maintaining healthy vessels.
What is the right amount of exercise? At least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day, such as walking, cycling, or swimming, is recommended. Even small changes like taking the stairs or walking to the grocery store can have a big impact on your cholesterol.
7. How to achieve and maintain a healthy weight
Extra weight can lead to elevated cholesterol levels. Even a loss of 5 to 10 percent of body weight can make a significant difference in your cholesterol levels.
How to Do It: Combine healthy eating with regular exercise. Even modest weight loss has a significant impact on heart health.
Maintaining a healthy body weight can improve cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of developing heart disease.
8. Quit Smoking
Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do to protect your heart. Smoking damages blood vessels and lowers HDL levels. It also increases LDL levels. Once you stop smoking, your cholesterol can start to improve within a few short weeks.
Health insight: Heart disease risk is reduced by half within a year after quitting smoking. It is important to quit smoking in order to improve your cholesterol and protect your heart.
9. Limit Alcohol Intake
Excessive alcohol consumption can raise blood pressure and increase cholesterol. If you do drink, it’s important to do so in moderation.
Moderation: The CDC suggests that women limit their alcohol intake to one drink per week and men to two per week. This can protect your heart and help keep your cholesterol in check.
Health Advice: Drinking responsibly can help you manage your cholesterol.
10. Stanols and Plant Sterols are both effective.
Natural substances in plants, such as plant sterols or stanols, help to block cholesterol absorption. Just 2 grams of plant-based sterols per day can reduce your LDL cholesterol up to 10%.
Where you can find them: They are added to margarine and other foods, such as orange juice and yogurt. If you prefer, they are also available as supplements.
It is recommended to incorporate plant-based sterols in your diet to help lower cholesterol.
Reduce Your Cholesterol: Take charge of your heart health today
Manage your cholesterol to reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. These tips, which are backed by experts, can help you lower your cholesterol levels and improve your heart health.
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