How To Lower Your Cholesterol

Increase Your Consumption Of Dietary Fiber

Ideally, you should be getting 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day, says Dr. Cho. Fiber binds to cholesterol and eliminates it from your body.

To increase your fiber intake, eat more whole grains, legumes like beans and lentils, vegetables and fruits. You should be getting a good mix of both soluble fibers, which are more beneficial for cholesterol, and insoluble fibers, which are better for your gut health.

Lower cholesterol isnt the only benefit of getting enough fiber. Other benefits include reducing your risk of diseases, preventing constipation and keeping you full longer.

Triglycerides In Your Blood

In addition to cholesterol, your blood also contains a type of fat called triglycerides, which are stored in your bodys fat deposits. Hormones release triglycerides to make energy between meals.

When you eat, your body converts any extra energy it doesnt need right away into triglycerides.

Like cholesterol, your body needs triglycerides to work properly. However, there is evidence to suggest that some people with high triglycerides are at increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

If you regularly eat more energy than you need, you may have high triglycerides .

Eat Less Refined Food

It is best to avoid refined food whenever possible.

Refined and packaged foods tend to have ingredients that make them shelf-stable while also giving them a desirable flavor.

These foods often include ingredients that a person should avoid when they are looking to reduce their cholesterol.

Among the ingredients to avoid are refined grains, added trans and saturated fats, and added sugars.

Several lifestyle factors can affect a persons cholesterol levels. Some people may find that making certain changes to their lifestyle helps lower their cholesterol.

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Myth #: Cholesterol From Animal Products Such As Red Meat Eggs And Full Fat Milk Is Bad For You:

This is just a theory and has never been proven. The problem with it is the numbers dont add up. For instance, an Eskimos diet consists of 70% animal meat, fat and cholesterol yet they have very low cholesterol levels, low triglyceride levels, and very low rates of heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Then in the May edition of The Denver Post back in 1996, there was an article about a longevity study in which researchers interviewed 415 people over the age of a hundred . The idea was to try and find out if there was one overwhelming factor all of these people had in common that may have contributed to their longevity.

And there was in fact one overwhelming thing that researchers discovered…

All 415 people ate red meat every day! There wasnt one vegetarian in the group. Now, if red meat really is so bad for you and eating it clogs up your arteries and causes heart disease then all of these people should have been dead long ago! 1

Eat To Lower Your Cholesterol

Cholesterol isnt all bad news. Follow these tips to lower your cholesterol, the natural way.

Chances are, youve heard a thing or two about cholesterol. Having high blood cholesterol is a risk factor for developing heart disease.

But did you know that you can reduce your cholesterol level by making smart food choices? Its true!

Cholesterol clarified

Before we get to the details, lets be clear on what were talking about. For years, cholesterol has had a bad rep that it doesnt really deserve. The truth is, we need cholesterol to function. Your body makes most of the cholesterol it needs. The rest comes from foods you eat.

Heres the important thing: Dietary cholesterol found in meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products has less impact on increasing your blood cholesterol level. Foods that contain lots of saturated fat are the true culprits.

Now heres how to make nutritious choices to lower your blood cholesterol.

Keep eating simple

In the last 20 years, the rules on healthy eating have shifted. Super restrictive diets arent sustainable or the healthiest choice. Rather than zeroing in on a single nutrient, nutrition research shows the quality of your diet matters more. A diet filled with the right portions of whole, unprocessed foods can help decrease heart disease and stroke. What does that look like? For a healthy, balanced eating plan:

Cook at home

Choose more fibre

Each of these options will provide you with two grams:

• ½ ripe avocado

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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.

Think Fish For Heart Health

Eating fish is especially heart healthy because many fish are high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids and low in saturated fat. It is the omega-3 fatty acids that help lower blood levels of triglycerides. Stick to fatty fish, which has more omega-3. Keep in mind that deep oil frying of any food diminishes its health benefits.

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Eating Well + Exercise

For best results with a healthy lifestyle, new research has found that plunging right in with both healthy eating and exercising is the way to go.3

The Stanford University School of Medicine study involved 200 middle-aged Americans, all sedentary and with poor eating habits. Some were told to launch new food and fitness habits at the same time. Others began dieting but waited several months before beginning to exercise. A third group started exercising but didnt change eating habits till several months later.

All the groups received telephone coaching and were followed for one year. The winning group was the one making food and exercise changes together. The people in this group were most likely to meet U.S. guidelines for exercise and healthy eating , and to keep calories from saturated fat at less than 10% of their total intake of calories.

For best results with a healthy lifestyle, new research has found that plunging right in with both healthy eating and exercising is the way to go.3

Lifestyle Changes That Can Help

Whatever your cholesterol levels, you can benefit from the following tips. You need to put all these steps together to improve cholesterol and reduce your overall risk for heart disease, says Amit Khera, MD, director of the preventive cardiology program at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

1. Eat smart. The American Heart Association advises limiting red and processed meat, full-fat dairy, fried foods, sodium, and added sugar. Instead, focus on produce, whole grains, and poultry, fish, and nuts, and use healthy oils, like olive oil.

2. Move more every day. Regular aerobic exercise like brisk walking may increase good HDL and reduce levels of triglycerides , and resistance training can lower bad LDL, according to an AHA scientific statement.

3. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight may raise bad cholesterol and reduce the good, the AHA says. But losing a moderate amount could help: In one study, overweight women who lost 5 to 10 percent of their body weight saw their LDL drop by about 10 points and men saw theirs decrease by about 4.5 points.

4. Stop smoking. Research says that smoking can raise HDL levels by 2.2 points.

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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.

How To Lower Cholesterol And Triglycerides

• Frequently Asked Questions

Triglycerides are a type of lipid, or fat, your body produces to store extra calories and provide energy. Cholesterol is another lipid that circulates in your blood. Your body uses cholesterol to build cells and produce hormones.

Both triglycerides and cholesterol are essential for your health but having levels that are too high puts your health at risk. Living a healthy lifestyle helps to keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels within a normal range.

This article covers how triglycerides and cholesterol affect your health and how you can lower them naturally.

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Follow Your Doctor’s Advice

Continue managing a normal cholesterol range for life with regular doctor checkups, exercise, and healthy food choices. These lifestyle changes can help you to reduce the risk of disease and promote longevity. Work with your health care professionals to get tips to improve your cholesterol by changing your routine.

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Work In Some More Movement To Your Daily Tasks

Do you need to start running every day? Do you need to join a gym or buy a bunch of home fitness equipment? If you want to, go ahead! But there are many other choices, and finding a routine that works for you is whats most important.

Ideally, you want to aim for at least 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity every week. You can break that up however you like. You might focus on doing something every day, or you could dedicate yourself to just a few days per week. The key is to just get started.

For example, do you usually take the elevator? Take the stairs instead. Do you walk your dog every day? Go a little farther than usual, or walk at a faster pace. Need to go shopping? Park farther away than you normally do. Catching up on your favorite TV series? Try stretching, dumbbells or kettlebells while youre watching rather than just sitting on the couch. Also look for chances to bring motion into your daily life, such as walking while you talk on the phone.

If youre feeling good, work up to more intense physical activity, like lap swimming, jogging or hot yoga. Dont overexert yourself, but remember that regular and consistent exercise has benefits beyond managing your cholesterol. It also helps reduce blood pressure and builds your overall physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Even if you just go a little farther or a little faster than you usually do, that extra activity will be a big step in the right direction for your health.

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Foods That Lower Your Cholesterol

Some foods can actively help to lower your cholesterol and they all work in different ways. Try to include these foods in your meals whenever you can:

1. Oats and barley

Eating whole grain foods reduces your risk of heart disease. Oats and barley are extra special because they are high in a type of soluble fibre called ‘beta glucan’. Beta glucan helps to lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in your blood2,3.

Tip: Flavoured oat products like ‘Quick Oats’ often contain added salt and/or sugar. Choose products that contain 100% oats as they’re closest to how theyre found in nature.

2. Vegetables and fruit

Eating a variety of colourful vegetables and fruit everyday can help protect you against heart disease, stroke and some cancers4,5. Many vegetables and fruit are high in soluble fibre which helps to reduce the absorption of cholesterol and lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in your blood.

Tip: Leave the skins on vegetables like pumpkin, kmara and carrot to maximise your intake of fibre. Use orange and lemon peel in dressings and sauces.

3. Foods rich in heart-healthy fats

Eating plenty of foods that contain heart-healthy mono and poly-unsaturated fats increases the levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol in your blood.

These foods contain heart-healthy fats.

• Avocado
• Olives
• Vegetable oils and spreads

Eating these foods instead of foods high in saturated fat improves your cholesterol. Itll reduce your risk of heart disease too6.

4. Legumes and beans

5. Nuts

6. Soy products

7. Plant sterols

Eat Fewer Refined Grains Such As White Flour

Were a nation of white food eaters white bread, white rice, white pasta, and white-flour foods like muffins, croissants, bagels, crackers, dried cereals, tortillas, pretzels, and chips. Yes, more than half of many Americans typical diets are made up of hyperprocessed refined white flour, often injected with sugar, salt, and/or fat.

Thats a real problem in part because the more white, or refined, grains we eat, the fewer whole grains we tend to take in. Research has found that eating whole grains can help lower both total and LDL cholesterol, and improve heart health.

In Harvard Universitys Nurses Health Study, for example, women who ate two to three servings of whole-grain products each day were 30% less likely to have a heart attack or die from heart disease over a 10-year period than women who ate less than one serving of whole grains per week.2

When first starting to make the switch from refined to whole grains, many people often feel a bit confused. Where to begin? Whats whole? What isnt?

The registered dietitians at the Pritikin Longevity Center start with one very simple rule. When looking at products like breads and cereals, they recommend turning the package around and making sure the first word in the Ingredient List is whole. If you see the word whole at the top of the list, its a good bet that what youre buying is in fact 100% whole grain, or close to it.

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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.

And What About Eggs And High Cholesterol

Back in 1995 the American Heart Association performed a study on cholesterol and eggs and the results changed conventional thinking about one of natures little masterpieces forever…

They took 141 healthy people with a cholesterol level of 227 . For 6 months these people had to eat 2 eggs for breakfast every morning and after the 6 month period was up their cholesterol levels were re-tested. What they found was their cholesterol levels did go up. But they only went up by a miniscule amount, so heres what the American Heart Association came out and said at their annual meeting on November 15th, 1995

We always assumed that eggs were bad for you because they contain cholesterol, but it now appears after this simple study that 2 eggs a day wont hurt. 2

And in the New England Journal of Medicine there was an article titled Normal Cholesterol in 88 Year Old Man Eating 25 Eggs a Day. This old fella had been eating 25 eggs everyday for over 20 years and yet his cholesterol levels were perfectly normal!

The realtruth on this one folks is eggs actually lower cholesterol in the blood without any sideeffects. In fact, the more eggs you eat the healthier your cholesterol levelswill be .

So contrary to popular belief, eggs are actually terrific cholesterol reduces!

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Thursday: Savor Some Salmon For Dinner

Get into the habit of choosing salmon over steak and youll be doing your heart a favor. Adding fish to your diet is beneficial in two ways, according to the American Heart Association. First, youre replacing meat, which is often high in LDL-raising saturated fat, with fish, which is low in saturated fats. Youre also getting beneficial omega-3 fats from fish, which lower triglyceride levels . Thats a double win, Kramer says.

Cholesterol And Healthy Eating

What we eat has an impact on our cholesterol levels and can help reduce our risk of disease. Try to eat a wide variety of foods from each of the five food groups. Not only does this help to maintain a healthy and interesting diet, but it provides essential nutrients to the body.

The Heart Foundation recommends:

• Plenty of vegetables, fruits and wholegrains.
• A variety of healthy protein sources , legumes , nuts and seeds. Smaller amounts of eggs and lean poultry can also be included in a heart healthy diet. If choosing red meat, make sure it is lean and limit to 1-3 times a week.
• Unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese. Those with high blood cholesterol should choose reduced fat varieties.
• Healthy fat choices nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking
• Herbs and spices to flavour foods, instead of adding salt.

Also, be mindful on how much you are eating and whether you are filling up on unhealthy foods. Portion sizes have increased over time and many of us are eating more than we need which can lead to obesity and increase our risk of cardiovascular disease.

Ideally, a healthy plate would include servings of ¼ protein, ¼ carbohydrates and ½ vegetables.

Serving size can vary depending on age, gender and specific nutrition needs.

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