How To Naturally Lower Cholesterol?
The quality of food being made available in restaurants and school cafeterias as well as the decreasing level of physical activity are the major contributors to a large number of people being grossly overweight these days. This also means that many more people in America will be suffering from ailments such as increased blood pressure, heart problems and strokes in the years to come. Since awareness regarding these issues has spread already, adequate measures can be taken to avoid such health hazards.
Regular exercises as well as a well-maintained diet pattern are the simplest and the most highly recommended methods of keeping high cholesterol levels at bay. Dieting has always been associated with having to give up eating tasty food items that contain a lot of fat. But this need not be the case. Consumption of food rich of fats should definitely be curtailed and these foods can be substituted with other food items that are rich in fiber and contain smaller quantities of saturated fat. Such food items include artichokes, corn, fish, garlic, legumes, mushrooms, nut, olive oil, soymilk and whole grains. Fruits as well as vegetables should also be made an essential component in the diet plan since these contain plenty of sterols and also help to control the cholesterol levels in the body. All the food items mentioned above are easy to find in any supermarket and are not likely to make a big hole in your pocket.
Apart from the consumption of solid foods, necessary care has to be taken while consuming liquids as well. This means consuming liquids like red wine and beer in smaller quantities and also increasing the intake of healthier liquids like juices freshly squeezed from fruits, milk that is fat free and also lots of water.
Regular exercise is also required in order to maintain the cholesterol levels in the body. There are many different ways of indulging the body in exercise but some of the most common methods are taking a brisk morning walk and running or jogging in your local park. Some people learn new sporting games like tennis or badminton in order to exercise themselves and stay fit as well as keep the cholesterol levels down. You can also go and exercise at the local gymnasium. Every gym has a personal trainer who can teach you the right exercises that help you to stay fit as well as suit your body. A normal exercise program includes lifting weights as well as cardio-vascular exercises that help in sweating out the calories and also keeping the cholesterol levels low in the bargain.
If exercising regularly and also following a rigid diet plan are not helping to keep your cholesterol levels low, then a third option can be considered. This involves consumption of medicines prescribed by a doctor. Medicinal drugs can also be used to maintain the cholesterol levels in the body. Many such drugs are available in the pharmaceutical market today and these help to reduce the cholesterol levels from 15% to 30%. But many of these drugs could have side effects depending on the health of the individual hence it is always advisable to consume such medicines only when they are prescribed by a doctor.
The most common method of cholesterol increasing is through the consumption of food items that have high cholesterol content and the body also produces it from time to time. The only way to ensure that the cholesterol levels in the blood do not overshoot the regular mark is by going to a doctor regularly for a checkup and also by watching what food you eat when you visit a restaurant.
Filed Under Cholesterol Article | Leave a Comment
How To Lower Cholesterol Through Diet
One of the best methods for reducing cholesterol is by diet. People have learned this from teenagers who undergo extreme dieting to stay slim as they think cholesterol is responsible for obesity. To stay healthy reducing the cholesterol content is a primary necessity. Whenever the amount of cholesterol in our body becomes high it causes disease which may lead to death.
Hypertension, heart disease and diabetics have cholesterol as its root cause. These diseases are normally found more among people in middle and old ages. This is because when people become old their body responds slowly to convert fats into energy and hence most of the fats remain unconverted and deposited in the body. So hence doctors advice old people to take in cholesterol free foods because “no cholesterol no fats”.
What is cholesterol?
When asked about it to people no one really seems to know what it is, but most of the people’s opinion about cholesterol is that, it is evil. People are very ignorant such that when someone gets a heart problem they conclude that it is due to cholesterol. But for strong body cholesterol is required. How? They are responsible for the birth of bile salts, formation of vitamin D and also to control the level of hormones such that our body becomes balanced. However over cholesterol may result in fats storing in the walls of the arteries which prevents the pumping of pure blood to all the parts of the body.
LDL and HDL are the two types of cholesterol which is present in the body. LDL is the evil son of cholesterol which is responsible for storing the fats in the artery walls. Whenever these are high it continues to accumulate fats till the passage shuts down so that blood is not pumped out of the heart resulting in cardiac arrest. Saturated fats and Trans fatty kinds are the mother of the LDH cholesterol. These are found in potato chips and also in canned goods which use preservatives.
HDL is a good son to its mother. It is responsible for reducing the activities of his evil brother. HDL is required to make sure that the content of fats in heart is always low. HDL removes the unwanted fats from the arteries and takes them directly to the liver where they are converted into energy. HDL is abundantly found in nuts, fishes and other sea foods.
In order to reduce the amount of LDL, foods which are rich in fiber such as fruits, oats, cereals, legumes must be consumed regularly. So lower the amount of LDL, lower the risk of heart disease and it results in a healthy life.
Factors which reduce cholesterol
The cholesterol levels may vary for one individual to another. Age and gender also plays an important part in cholesterol level. That is the average cholesterol level for a teenager may not be as same as that of an old man. Apart from diet, physical exercises are a must to keep the cholesterol in a controlled level. Because during exercises, the unwanted fats which are stored in the body, are burnt away. So the amount of LDL cholesterol also reduces. During a diet session, a person consumes only little amount of food so after burning out the consumed food for energy, the stored fats are then used when extra amount of energy is required.
Reducing the amount of cholesterol in the body is not a mighty task. A person who is determined to follow a strict diet with continuous exercise can do it easily. So next time when you eat a potato chip or canned food think about your heart and then you would have saved some amount of fats entering into your body.
Filed Under Cholesterol Article | Leave a Comment
How To Control Cholesterol Level
Striking the right balance is the key when it comes to leading a healthy life. Whether it’s eating, exercising or sleeping, there should be a balance to keep away most of the health problems. The busy schedule that most of the people have now a days has made them negligent about a number of important things like when and what they are eating, how often they are going to gym and how much sleep they are getting. But most of the people are not aware and if they are, they don’t even bother to give it a thought that this negligence may lead them to a heart attack and an increased cholesterol level is the first step towards it.
Cholesterol is an integral part of the human body but the problem starts when due to excessive use of certain food items or not fully consuming the food by exercising, the level of cholesterol in the body increases. At start this change in cholesterol level goes unnoticed because it doesn’t have any prominent symptoms like many other health problems initially and many people find out about this when they go for their monthly or annual medical check up. Unfortunately most of people come to know about it when they are at the brink of getting into high blood pressure which is the main reason of a heart attack.
Self control really helps when it comes to dealing with high cholesterol. It is necessary that the advice of a doctor is taken and a completely new diet plan is adopted in consultation with a dietitian. Most of the people, at first, find it rather difficult to adopt a completely new set of eating habits and taking regular time out to go to gym but gradually when they start feeling the positive effects, this initial irritation goes away. One must understand that this problem arises by either not fully consuming the food by exercise or any other kind of physical activity or by having such food regularly which is so rich in fats or carbohydrates that it becomes almost impossible to consume it in any way.
When it comes to adopting a new diet plan, substituting plays an important role. Its all about substituting food items rich in fats with those which have lesser fats or carbohydrates. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are the three main meals of the day and there are slight changes that have to be made in these meals which help a great deal in bringing the cholesterol level down. For example in breakfast cereals should be used with skimmed milk and coffee should be replaced with tea without sugar. The use of red meat should be stopped completely rather preference should be given to white meat like fish and chicken but its important that the chicken is used without skin. In case a piece of steak is tempting, it should be mixed with a lot of vegetables. Fresh fruit juices should be taken instead of colas and a glass of red wine is as enjoyable as a beer. These rather small changes really make a big difference in dealing with high cholesterol.
Health is wealth as someone has rightly put it and this wealth also needs to be protected. Increased cholesterol level may not sound a big issue to many people but it certainly may have serious life long effects on one’s health if no change is brought about in the hectic, unhealthy life style.
Filed Under Cholesterol Article | Leave a Comment
High Cholesterol Food For People
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among fats circulating in the bloodstream and in all of body’s cells. Healthy level of cholesterol is an important for a healthy body. Cholesterol can be good or bad, and so it’s important to learn what it is. The medical term for “good” cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL carries cholesterol away from arteries and takes it to the liver, where it’s removed from the body. “Bad” cholesterol is low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Presence of high levels of “bad” cholesterol in the minute veins can clog them, preventing free flow of blood and increase risk of heart attack and stroke. Cholesterol is water-insoluble and so elimination of the same is not possible.
It should be clear that presence of “good” cholesterol is vital for the normal functioning of the body and only the “bad” cholesterol requires attention. Also it should be borne in mind that the cholesterol level is not going up all of a sudden, but because of the careless consumption of cholesterol-rich food over a long period of time. When it is found that the level of bad cholesterol is very high, it may be too late to eliminate the same.
It is also observed that there is direct correlation between cholesterol level and over weight of the body. So obese persons are prone to have high level of cholesterol and are subject to the effects of the same. Also obesity and high level of cholesterol may be inherited and certain drugs and food habits also may cause the same. So it may be a surprise to a normal people to find one day that they are also having high level of cholesterol.
It may come as a surprise when undergoes a clinical test for some other disease that he or she is having high level of cholesterol since the level of knowledge about prevalence of cholesterol is very limited. So it high time that one tries to learn things about cholesterol such as the reasons and the ways to keep it under level.
Food habits are the major reason for increased level of cholesterol. We have to study the foods that increase the cholesterol level and avoid them and identify those foods which help to keep control and eat more of them. It has been established that foods with high level of antioxidants help to maintain the cholesterol level and so we identify them and take more of them.
Also some group of foods help to lower and maintain the cholesterol level which we will see under.
Fibers and oat meal
Dietary fiber is the term for several materials in the parts of plants which our body cannot digest. Fiber is classified as soluble or insoluble. Soluble fiber has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol. Foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and apple pulp. Insoluble fiber doesn’t seem to help lower blood cholesterol. But it’s an important aid in normal bowel function. Foods high in insoluble fiber include whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, wheat bran, cabbage, beetroot, carrots, turnips, cauliflower and apple skin.
Vegetables and fruits
Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and antioxidants and they rank high in maintaining the cholesterol level. They are highly recommended than other processed or cooked foods. They do not contain fat and it is known that citrus fruit is rich in vitamin C and cucumber is having vitamin E and the antioxidants present in it helps to fight different kinds of diseases.
Fish
Among the non-vegetarian food, fish is highly recommended since it is free from fat. Tuna and other white meat fishes are good choices.
Other than fish, chicken and turkey, free of skin, and liver are also rich in protein and avoid cholesterol.
Yogurt
It helps for good digestion of food since that only controls the acids in the stomach. The low fat content in the yogurt and its role in digestion help to maintain the cholesterol level.
Filed Under Cholesterol Article | Leave a Comment
Healthy Diet For Low Cholesterol
After making an individual undergo a routine test, the doctor checks four important parameters to ascertain the physical well being of the patient before discussing the results with the individual. These parameters are LDL, HDL, Triglyceride and Cholesterol levels.
Every parameter has a normal range, wherein there is no possible risk to the individual. In case; post the tests any of the parameters are above their normal range, there is a possible risk for the individual. The best way to control the situation is to make certain adjustments in the normal routine diet by the individual. This is the most common advise that is given the by the assessing doctor. In extreme cases, the doctor may even advise the quantities and types of foods to be included in the diet by the individual.
There is common knowledge about the fact that there are basically two types of cholesterols present in one body. LDL & HDL are the good and bad cholesterol present in the human system. Not many people know much about Triglyceride, which is in most common reference known as fat content of the body.
Individuals confronted with the situation of higher Triglyceride in the bodies, often wonder what it is and what happens in cases of higher levels of Triglyceride. Well in layman’s’ terms higher Triglyceride levels inside the body means higher risk of heart related diseases.
Forms of diet intake have a lot of bearing on the triglyceride levels. Although the normal range of triglyceride in the human system should be between 10 to 250 mgs. / Dl; but in most cases individuals checked for triglyceride levels surpass this range.
In more than 90% cases, individuals whose triglyceride levels are high are bound to have their cholesterol levels also on a higher side. A sure shot way to combat this situation is to have a balanced diet intake prepared by a good dietician.
The idea of a balanced diet means having meals or food stuff which low on its fat content. Minor adjustments like having egg whites with whole grain breads, replacing coffee with sugar free tea and milk with fresh juice, go a long way in correcting and controlling the situation.
Individuals, who cannot do without non vegetarian food, should restrict the intake of red meat. It is advisable to have chicken; skin peeled along with some boiled vegetables.
Another common myth is that diet aerated drinks or sodas are considered appropriate and healthy in cases of people with high cholesterol. This is not true as despite these drinks being low on calories still do carry certain ingredients that may be harmful for people with high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It is best advisable to substitute aerated drinks with plain bottled water.
Food intake is of utmost importance especially for people who are fighting against higher cholesterol levels. It is best advised to avoid outside cooked food until and unless there is a case of extreme emergency. People who have paucity of time in the morning because of early hours for work should prepare things in advance or maybe night before to ensure that they carry healthy and advised food from home. Fruits and freshly cut vegetable salad can act as supplements for people who are looking at a light snack.
One should always avoid heavy dinner, reason being that while sleeping the body is not able to burn many calories, which is very important especially for people dealing with high cholesterol problems. Red wine acts is a good supplement to have while having food, it helps in digestion and is considered good for heart. Steamed fish, low calorie pastas are other options that one can look at for dinner.
People who are on a prescribed diet plan often refrain themselves from eating outside. Although it is advisable to have home cooked food, but if certain restraint and caution is practiced, people dealing with cholesterol problems can also enjoy going out with friends or family to a restaurant. Choosing the right type of food is of utmost importance while and should be kept in mind on these visits to restaurants.
By maintaining a balanced lifestyle, controlled eating habits, choosing the correct type of food can help an individual in dealing effectively with the situation of high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Filed Under Cholesterol Article | Leave a Comment
« go back