How To Lower Cholesterol Without Drugs

As we age, more and more health problems arise, and one very common one is, high cholesterol. For those who may not know this, there is good and bad cholesterol, and it is found in every cell of our bodies. Before medication must be prescribed to control, and maintain this problem, you should know that there are ways to lower cholesterol without drugs.

The body uses cholesterol to build hormones and healthy cells, and therefore it is a necessity to the body. When those levels increase, fat deposits begin to form in the blood vessels. This in turn causes difficulty for the blood to easily flow through your arteries. High cholesterol can increase your chance of getting a heart attack or a stroke.

Therefore, regular exercise and a healthy diet is key to keeping your cholesterol at healthy levels. Decreasing the amount of excessively high fat foods, such as dairy products is a step in the right direction. Educate yourself in understanding the nutrition labels on packaging to make yourself aware of the fats that you need to avoid.

For instance, saturated fats and trans fats are terrible for the body. In fact, trans fats not only raise the bad cholesterol (LDL), but they lower the good cholesterol (HDL). Product packaging will often claimed to be free of trans fats, but this is not always the case. As long as the product contains less than. 5 g of trans fats, that the product by law can make this claim. Instead of depending on the marketing, read the ingredients and see if there is any hydrogenated oils listed. Hydrogenated oils equal trans fats.

If you are a smoker, quit! Smoking cigarettes increases cholesterol. There are ways to help smokers deal with the withdrawals, such as special gum, patches, and support groups. If you are above the average weight for your height, lose weight, as it contributes to this problem.

Having high cholesterol causes heart disease, as mentioned above. Therefore, to counter effect this problem, you should start eating a healthy diet that promotes a healthier and stronger heart. Such foods include omega-3 fatty acids that are found in some fish, fruits and vegetables, and whole wheat or whole grain foods. Avoid eating processed and refined foods.

Alcohol consumption should be no more than one or two drinks a day. Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. These few changes will not only make you healthier, look better, and feel better, they will also lower your cholesterol levels considerably.

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Author: Henry KH Fong