Jb Anthony asked:


There are many ways to lower cholesterol. Some do it with the help of medication or surgeries, and others do it naturally. The following is a list of four ways to do it without having to spend too much or stress yourself on side effects or other costs, because staying healthy should not be a problem.

1. Lose Weight

Packing extra pounds is not always good, especially if you are already overweight. Having all the extra fat in your body will disrupt the rate of normal metabolism and will make you unhealthy and unfit.

Losing the excess can greatly improve your health and lifestyle. You do not have to lose them all in one go. You can do it slow by planning a balanced diet and by exercising. Shedding a half or a pound a week will already be beneficial for you. This is not just one of the ways to lower cholesterol, but it will also reduce the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes.

2. Say Hello to HDLs

Not all cholesterols are bad. There are HDLs (high-density lipoprotein), or good cholesterol, and LDLs (low-density lipoprotein), or bad cholesterol. Foods rich in LDLs include meat, cheese, butter, and milk. These can raise your cholesterol level. But you can substitute these with healthier alternatives like fruits, vegetables, and nuts, foods that lower cholesterol.

Other sources of HDLs are fish like mackerel, salmon, and tuna. These contain omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, omega-3 fatty acids can lower VLDLs (very low-density lipoproteins) and triglycerides, which is a type of blood fat. Two servings of baked or grilled fish per week are recommended.

However, be reminded that even if you consume foods with HDL and still continue eating those with HDL, there won’t be much improvement to your health.

3. Sweeping with Fiber

There is a reason why vegetarians are less prone to high cholesterol levels and heart diseases. Eating fruits and vegetables-fibrous food-are beneficial to health.

Soluble fiber can greatly lower cholesterol by binding them with bile acids in the intestines to be flushed out of the body later. Consuming at least 15 grams of it per day can lower your LDL level by 5 to 10 percent. Pectin, a kind of soluble fiber, can also ease overeating by slowing the digestive process. Pectin can be found in apples.

4. Walk It Off

For people who cannot carry the strain of moderate physical exercise like treadmills, running, and workouts, then walking will be an easier alternative. Walking can lower cholesterol, shed weight, and help the heart.

Walking for 30 minutes at least five days a week is already enough to make significant changes on your body.

If you are bent on following these ways to lower cholesterol, then you will have to commit to them. You have to dedicate time and effort to keep yourself fit and healthy. You can even get other people to support you or join you.

Dr John Anne asked:


Food plays an important role in managing the cholesterol level in your body. Apart from a well-managed lifestyle or proper medication, it is mandatory that you switch to fat-free, cholesterol-free healthy diet to manage the level of cholesterol. If you are suffering from high blood cholesterol problem, quite obviously you are having a high level of LDL; then you should consider about three important factors concerning your selection about food to lower cholesterol. These three factors are – saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. It is advisable that you make your meal absolutely free from these three diet components.

Or else, at least limit the intake of these three diet components. This article enlightens you on the important food to lower cholesterol level in your body. You may add any of the following foods to your diet to manage your blood cholesterol.

Beans, Peas and Lentil

This is an appropriate food to lower cholesterol level. Beans, peas, and lentils consist of high soluble fiber, which effectively manages cholesterol level in your body. You can always prepare a colorful salad dishes using these nutritional substances, and keep yourself and your loved ones healthy. Apart from that, you may eat apples, carrots, barely, and oats to fulfill the need of soluble fiber.

Soy

It contains high protein. Isoflavones, naturally found in Soy products are believed to mimic the role of hormones that help in regulating cholesterol level in the body. If you really care about lowering your cholesterol level, it is a must that you take a minimum of 25gms of soy proteins as a part of your daily diet. You may take soy yogurt, soy burgers, ground soy, soy nuts, soy milk, tofu, and tempeh in your regular diet

Fish

Fish is an ideal food to lower cholesterol level. It meets the demands for omega 3, which is beneficial for lowering high blood cholesterol. It especially provides protection against LDL cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids are commonly found in mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines, tuna, and halibut. Fishes are the perfect option for getting omega 3, but you may also opt in walnuts, flax seeds, or almonds, to have the same benefits.

Olive Oil

Mono-saturated fats can effectively lower the level of high blood cholesterol, especially ‘bad’ or LDL one. It has the ability to raise the amount of HDL cholesterol in the system. Olive oil is rich with mono-saturated fat. Hence, you can switch to this wonderful food to lower cholesterol, especially while cooking or preparing salads.

Flax seed

Flax seed is a perfect food to lower cholesterol level. It constitutes high protein, soluble fiber and omega 3 fatty acids. It consists of useful component called lignans. Lignans offers protection against cardiovascular problems by means of lowering LDL cholesterol level. Apart from that, it is assumed that flax seed has the ability to fight against few types of cancer like breast and colon cancer. It also helps protecting body from diabetes.

Garlic

Garlic is known as kitchen’s pride. Its medicinal property is highly respected among different cultures for several hundreds of years. It has the ability to fight against different cardiovascular diseases such as high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, and high blood pressure. According to the results found in different scientific studies, garlic helps lowering cholesterol level. Garlic has two compounds, known as allin and allicin. These two compounds are assumed to intrude with the cholesterol metabolism function in the liver. Additionally, garlic also regulates the amount of cholesterol released in the blood stream.

Vitamin C and E

These two vitamins are well known for their anti-oxidizing property. They can help minimize the level of cholesterol in the body. The primary sources for deriving vitamin C are cabbage, oranges, potatoes, peppers, kiwi, and strawberries. On the other hand, for having vitamin E in your diet, you can easily depend on various healthy foods such as avocados, broccoli, mangoes, Brazilian seeds, peanuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds.

Shania asked:


Do you want a diet to lower cholesterol? We all know that butter, ice cream, and fatty meats raise cholesterol, but do you know which foods make up a low-cholesterol diet? Find out here.

Reducing saturated fat is the single most important dietary change you can make to cut blood cholesterol. The liver uses saturated fat to make cholesterol, so eating foods with too much saturated fat can increase cholesterol levels, especially low-density lipoproteins (LDL)—the bad cholesterol. Saturated fats are usually found in animal products such as whole milk, cream, butter, and cheese, and meats, such as beef, lamb and pork. There are some plant-based saturated fats you should avoid too, notably palm kernel oil, coconut oil, and vegetable shortening.

Eating more fiber-rich foods may help to lower your blood cholesterol level. A certain type of dietary fiber, called soluble fiber, may help lower cholesterol levels by sweeping cholesterol out of the body before it gets into the bloodstream. Soluble fiber lowers the bad Low Density Lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol without lowering the good High Density Lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol.

Foods rich in soluble fiber include oat bran,legumes, dried beans and peas, many fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears,oranges, carrots, and psyllium seeds ,broccoli, brown rice, and whole grain breads.

Vitamins A, C, and E, lower the chances of LDL building up in your arteries. You can get your vitamins in foods such as strawberries, oranges, oils and margarines, and melons.

Garlic is the Ancient Herb for Heart Health. Now research has found that it helps stop artery-clogging plaque at its earliest stage.

Soy – research suggests that compounds in soy foods called isoflavones may also work to reduce LDL cholesterol.

Avocados are a great source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat- a type of fat that may actually help to raise levels of HDL (”good”cholesterol) while lowering levels of LDL (”bad” cholesterol).

Salmon is an excellent source of protein because it is high in omega-3 fatty acids called EPA and DHA that are good for your heart while low in cholesterol and saturated fat.

A mix of nuts -Walnuts, Cashews, and Almonds- A moderate-fat diet that’s rich in the healthy monounsaturated fats found in nuts may actually be twice as good for your heart as a low-fat diet

To know more about cholesterol lowering foods such as Spinach ,green tea please visit Foods that lower Cholesterol