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How Can You Control Your Cholesterol Levels

Are You Serious About Reducing Cholesterol

Cholesterol: What you need to know to help control your cholesterol levels | Herbalife Advice

If making healthy changes on your own has been a challenge, it may be time to bring in the professionals! Our team of physicians, nutritionists, exercise experts, psychologists, and chefs – specialize in helping people just like you reduce medication and take contol of their health. A vacation at Pritikin will change your life!

Apples: Rich In Fiber And Beneficial Antioxidants

As with beans, apples are an excellent source of LDL-lowering soluble fiber, primarily pectin. Research published in December 2014 in the European Journal of Nutrition also shows that eating an apple a day can slow the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. This health benefit comes thanks to antioxidant polyphenols found primarily in apple skin . Antioxidants are important because inflammation and plaque buildup in the arteries are more likely to occur when LDL cholesterol interacts with free radicals and becomes oxidized.

How Can I Lower Cholesterol With Diet

Heart-healthy lifestyle changes include a diet to lower your cholesterol. The DASH eating plan is one example. Another is the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet, which recommends that you

Choose healthier fats.You should limit both total fat and saturated fat. No more than 25 to 35% of your daily calories should come from dietary fats, and less than 7% of your daily calories should come from saturated fat. Depending upon how many calories you eat per day, here are the maximum amounts of fats that you should eat:

Calories per Day
69-97 grams 17 grams

Saturated fat is a bad fat because it raises your LDL level more than anything else in your diet. It is found in some meats, dairy products, chocolate, baked goods, and deep-fried and processed foods.

Trans fat is another bad fat it can raise your LDL and lower you HDL . Trans fat is mostly in foods made with hydrogenated oils and fats, such as stick margarine, crackers, and french fries.

Instead of these bad fats, try healthier fats, such as lean meat, nuts, and unsaturated oils like canola, olive, and safflower oils.

Limit foods with cholesterol. If you are trying to lower your cholesterol, you should have less than 200 mg a day of cholesterol. Cholesterol is in foods of animal origin, such as liver and other organ meats, egg yolks, shrimp, and whole milk dairy products.

Eat plenty of soluble fiber. Foods high in soluble fiber help prevent your digestive tract from absorbing cholesterol. These foods include:

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If Lifestyle Changes Arent Enough

Take medications, if you need to, to lower your cholesterol into healthy ranges. Drugs like statins can be very effective, says Dr. Danine Fruge, MD, ABFP – Medical Director at the Pritikin Longevity Center, but do continue in your efforts to eat well and exercise because a healthy lifestyle can give you far, far more than drugs alone.

With a healthy living program like Pritikin, youre not only reducing cholesterol quickly, youre also creating changes throughout your body that can profoundly improve your overall well-being. Youre reducing blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Other heart disease risk factors like triglyceride fats are also dropping dramatically. Youre also reducing inflammatory factors that sicken arteries. Youre shedding excess weight. And, quite simply, youre feeling better, much better. Many of our guests at Pritikin tell us, I had no idea I could feel this good again.

Can any pill or combination of pills do all of the above? I highly doubt it. But a healthy lifestyle like Pritikin can.

How To Take Control Of Your Cholesterol

How does controlling your diet lower your cholesterol  Education
Label Literacy If youre watching the type of fat youre eating to improve your cholesterol, the Nutrition Facts label on foods you buy is must-reading. It lists total fat, saturated fat and trans fat if any in grams and dietary cholesterol in milligrams. The label also shows all but trans fat as a percentage of the Daily Value , based on a 2,000-calorie daily diet. Keep in mind, though, that the DVs are higher than what experts recommend if youre combating LDL cholesterol. As a shorthand, the NHLBI suggests figuring products with 5% or less of the saturated-fat DV are low, while those listing 20% or more are high. For dietary cholesterol, note that the DV is 300 mg rather than the recommended 200 mg.

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Check Your Cholesterol Level Periodically

It is important to monitor your cholesterol levels regularly. Cholesterol levels are measured in mg/dL units . The normal cholesterol levels of an individual should be below 200 mg/dL. Ensure your good cholesterol levels or HDL cholesterol levels exceed 60 mg/dL to keep your heart healthy. One important point you need to note here is that your bad cholesterol level or LDL has to stay well within limits below 100 mg/dL. An abnormal increase in this can cause cholesterol plaque deposition in your arteries that can harm your heart. To know your cholesterol levels, do a blood test called a lipoprotein profile. This test will assess your total cholesterol levels along with HDL, LDL, and triglycerides.

Ditch The Fizzy Drink

Instead of drinking sugary fizzy drinks, drink water. Sugary drinks contain lots of refined sugar, which is bad for your heart and overall health. Another bonus tap water is free!

If you would like a cholesterol test or have any questions or concerns about your heart health, please contact your GP or healthcare provider for advice.

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How Often Should I Have My Cholesterol Tested

Adults should have their blood lipids measured every 5 years, starting at 45 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should start lipid blood tests at 35, because on average heart and blood vessel disease such as heart attacks and stroke happen 10 to 20 years earlier in Indigenous people.

All Australians in these age groups are eligible for a regular 20-minute heart health check with their doctor. This checks your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Your doctor can then assess your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 5 years.

Myth: I Dont Need Statins Or Other Medicines For My Cholesterol I Can Manage My Cholesterol With Diet And Exercise

How To Reduce Cholesterol Levels

Fact: Although many people can achieve good cholesterol levels by making healthy food choices and getting enough physical activity, some people may also need medicines called statins to lower their cholesterol levels. Guidelinesexternal icon also suggest that other medicines in addition to statins may be needed to help control cholesterol.2

People who may need statins or other medicines to manage cholesterol levels include the following:

  • People with familial hypercholesterolemia or people with very high levels of bad cholesterol. FH is a genetic condition that causes very high LDL cholesterol levels beginning at a young age. If left untreated, cholesterol levels will continue to get worse. This greatly raises the risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke at a young age.
  • People with cardiovascular disease . People with CVD may already have narrowed arteries because of too much plaque. Medicines that lower cholesterol may help reduce the risk for heart attack or stroke.
  • People with diabetes.Type 2 diabetes lowers HDL or good cholesterol levels and raises bad cholesterol levels. This combination raises your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Other groups of people may also need medicines to manage their cholesterol, including people who have a high risk for CVD. Always talk to your health care provider about the best ways to manage your cholesterol.

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Ways To Control Your Cholesterol Levels

According to research, reducing cholesterol levels by even just 1% significantly reduces the likelihood of ischemic heart disease …

Cholesterol is not a harmful substance, but a necessary substance for the body. Health problems occur only when it is in excessive amounts. In such cases, it literally gets stuck on the walls of the arteries and causes narrowing of the vessels.

According to the results of a number of studies, reducing cholesterol levels by even just 1% significantly reduces the likelihood of ischemic heart disease. The level of cholesterol in the blood also depends on heredity, but mostly on its content in food.

Here are 11 ways to control your cholesterol levels and keep them within reasonable limits:

1. Eat less animal fats They are harmful to health. Eat less fatty sausages. Give up pork and beef. Replace them with chicken or fish. Best – once a week chicken and once – fish.

White meat is leaner than red. The oily skin of the bird must be removed. Turkey, chicken or rabbit meat is especially useful.

It is recommended to cook the meat without additional fat, but with cooking or roasting. If you can not completely avoid the use of fat, use olive oil, corn or peanut oil. Do not use a second time the remaining vegetable oil after frying.

2. Nuts should be on your table every day Walnuts and almonds are especially useful. The daily norm should consist of a minimum of 3-4 walnuts and 8-10 almonds.

Add These Foods To Lower Ldl Cholesterol

Different foods lower cholesterol in various ways. Some deliver soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they get into circulation. Some give you polyunsaturated fats, which directly lower LDL. And some contain plant sterols and stanols, which block the body from absorbing cholesterol.

1. Oats. An easy first step to lowering your cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or some strawberries for another half-gram. Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber.

2. Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver.

3. Beans. Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take a while for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal. That’s one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. With so many choices from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.

4. Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber.

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Consider Plant Sterols And Stanols

Multiple types of supplements show promise for managing cholesterol.

Plant stanols and sterols are plant versions of cholesterol. Because they resemble cholesterol, they are absorbed from the diet like cholesterol.

However, because parts of their chemistry are different from human cholesterol, they do not contribute to clogged arteries.

Instead, they reduce cholesterol levels by competing with human cholesterol. When plant sterols are absorbed from the diet, this replaces the absorption of cholesterol.

Small amounts of plant stanols and sterols are naturally found in vegetable oils and are added to certain oils and butter substitutes.

A research review reported that clinical studies show that taking 1.53 grams of plant sterols/stanols daily can reduce LDL concentration by 7.512%. Researchers said taking it with a main meal twice per day allows for optimal cholesterol-lowering .

Although research has established the cholesterol-lowering benefit of plant stanols and sterols, it has not yet proved that they decrease the risk of heart disease. Numerous clinical trials have suggested that plant sterols supplements and enriched foods may lower heart disease risk, but hard data is still lacking .

summary

Plant stanols and sterols in vegetable oil or margarines compete with cholesterol absorption and reduce LDL by up to 20%. They are not proven to reduce heart disease.

Treatment For High Cholesterol

How To Decifer Cholesterol Levels?,what to do if your ldl cholesterol ...

Making lifestyle changes, especially changing some of the foods you eat, and regular physical activity, are very important to help reduce high LDL cholesterol.

You may also need to take cholesterol-lowering medicines to help manage your cholesterol and reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Talk to your doctor about finding the most appropriate treatment for you.

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Lifestyle Changes To Lower Cholesterol

Heart-healthy lifestyle changes that can help you lower or control your cholesterol include:

  • Heart-healthy eating. A heart-healthy eating plan limits the amount of saturated and trans fats that you eat. It recommends that you eat and drink only enough calories to stay at a healthy weight and avoid weight gain. It encourages you to choose a variety of nutritious foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Examples of eating plans that can lower your cholesterol include the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet and the DASH eating plan.
  • Weight Management. If you are overweight, losing weight can help lower your LDL cholesterol. This is especially important for people with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that includes high triglyceride levels, low HDL cholesterol levels, and being overweight with a large waist measurement .
  • Physical Activity. Everyone should get regular physical activity .
  • Managing stress. Research has shown that chronic stress can sometimes raise your LDL cholesterol and lower your HDL cholesterol.
  • Quitting smoking.Quitting smoking can raise your HDL cholesterol. Since HDL helps to remove LDL cholesterol from your arteries, having more HDL can help to lower your LDL cholesterol.

Modify Your Eating Habits

A great way to lower your cholesterol naturally is to start by replacing unhealthy fats with healthy fats .

This means becoming a food label reader, says Dr. Cho. Its important to limit your saturated fat intake. There should be no more than 2 grams of fat per serving and it should account for less than 7% of your daily calorie intake.

Saturated fats are most often found in palm oil and coconut oil, along with animal products like beef, pork, chicken skin, hot dogs and regular cheese.

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Maintain A Moderate Weight

Maintaining or achieving a moderate weight that is within the BMI range recommended by doctors can help lower cholesterol, while also reducing other heart disease risks.

A person should focus on achieving and maintaining a moderate weight with a combination of healthy eating and lots of physical activity, as both of these can also lower cholesterol.

Limit Your Alcohol Intake

Life’s Simple 7: Control Cholesterol

Alcohol can increase your levels of triglycerides. Along with LDL cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides raise your risk of heart disease.

Excess alcohol consumption also increases blood pressure and can lead to obesity both additional risk factors for heart disease.

To reduce the risk of heart disease and other risks from alcohol, limit your intake to no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 drinks per day.

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Eat Fibre To Lower Cholesterol

Eating high-fibre food can also help to lower your cholesterol. Fibre helps reduce the amount of cholesterol that is absorbed into the blood stream from your intestine.

  • Make sure you get at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day as these contain fibre along with other nutrients
  • Eat plenty of other high fibre foods like pulses oats and seeds.
  • Choose more wholegrain foods when you can, such as brown or granary bread over white.

How Do I Lower My Cholesterol Your 5 Top Questions Answered

High cholesterol could be caused by things we can control like lifestyle habits, or things we cant like age and family history. Keeping on top of the things you can control with simple changes can help to lower your risk of heart and circulatory disease. We answer your questions with simple tips to help you start making changes today.

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Reduce Your Intake Of Saturated And Trans Fats

Adopt and follow a healthy diet thats low in saturated and trans fats. A diet high in these fats can raise levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood.

Saturated fat is usually solid at room temperature. Its found in animal products such as meat and dairy, but also in palm oil, coconut oil and full-cream milk. Read more about saturated fat-rich foods here.

Trans fats are found in store-bought baked goods, snack foods and deep-fried foods. There is strong evidence that trans fats increase levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood, while decreasing levels of HDL cholesterol.

Some foods contain cholesterol . Foods that contain cholesterol include liver, pate, kidneys, prawns and egg yolks. These types of food are not usually eaten in large quantities, so its OK to include them in your diet in small amounts.

Foods that contain saturated fats have a greater effect on blood cholesterol levels than foods that contain dietary cholesterol.

How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally In 28 Simple Steps

How to lower cholesterol level

By Rachael Link, MS, RD

There are tons of natural remedies out there for how to lower cholesterol levels, often promising quick results with next to no effort required on your part. But while its true that there are tons of options to keep cholesterol levels in check, it can actually be as simple as swapping out a few foods in your diet for healthier options, switching up your workout routine or adding a supplement or two into the mix.

Ready to get started? Lets take a look at 28 simple methods for how to lower cholesterol and how it can impact your health.

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