Top 5 lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance present in our body. Our body needs cholesterol for building cells and tissues, protecting nerves and producing some hormones. Our lever forms all the cholesterol of our body according to its need.
Even the food adds cholesterol. Some common sources are eggs, meats and dairy products. But these excess of cholesterol in food leads to high cholesterol. High cholesterol enhances our risk of heart disease and heart attack.
There are two main types of cholesterol:
01. Low density lipoprotein: These sends cholesterol to the body. These are called bad cholesterol that needs less in are body.
02. High density lipoprotein: These removes cholesterol from our Blood. These are called good cholesterols that requires high level in our body.
Now a days, medication helps to reduce these risks of cholesterols but we must include some healthy habits to improve our cholesterols. As we are already having medicines these healthy lifestyle will reduce the effect of cholesterol.
Top 5 lifestyle changes to improve the cholesterol in our body
01. Eat heart healthy foods.
Some Changes in our life style will reduce cholesterol and improve our heart health.
- Reduction of saturated fats: – Saturated fats are mainly found in red meat and dairy products that enhances the cholesterol. To reduce the level of bad cholesterol (LDL),we have to lesser the intake of saturated fats.
- Elimination of trans fats: The partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, are also called trans fats are used in butter, store bought cookies, crackers and cakes. These trans fats are banned by food and drug administration from jan1,2021as these fats raise the cholesterol in our body.
- Taking up of foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids: – Taking up of food having Omega 3 fatty acids such as walnuts, Salmon, flaxseeds etc. which has heart healthy benefits that reduces blood pressure.
- Increasing of the soluble fibre: – Kidney beans, Apples, pears and sprouts are rich source of soluble fibres. Soluble fibre reduces the absorption of cholesterol in our blood.
02. Exercise and physical activities:-
Some physical activities can enhance the high-density lipoprotein, that are good cholesterols in our body. By the advice of your doctor, you must do at least 30 minutes of exercise a week and also do some aerobic activities for 20 minutes thrice a week. It’s not necessary that physical exercise or activities includes aerobics or yogasanas, it may be playing your favourite sports riding a cycle or anything which you like.
03. Quit smoking: –
As we all know smoking is injurious to health, but quitting up of smoking will improves our good cholesterol level. Benefit of this will show the result very quickly, as we quit smoking for 20 minutes only our blood pressure and heart rate will be recovered. But when we quit smoking for 3 months it will improve our blood circulation and lungs function. When we quit smoking for 1 year it will reduce the heart disease risks.
04. Lose weight: –
As we all know some small changes at our life having some extra calories and pounds in our body enhances the cholesterol level in our body. If we will intake drinking sugary beverages, switching to the tap water having airated popcorns, chips etc. We must monitor our calories level also. If we need something sweet you must try some no fat or having little sugar jelly beans or candies.
We can even put some little efforts in our day today routine such as we can use stairs instead of having elevators or lifts, we can also take some works after a while or a brake at our works, our home we can increase standing activities such as cooking or doing some work.
05. Drinking of alcohol: –
A balanced intake of alcohol is linked up with I levels of HDL cholesterols but these benefits are not to recommend you strongly for having alcohols as a drink. As we all know drinking of alcohols are bad for our health. If you already drink alcohol, do that in a moderate way for a healthy adult one drink a day is enough. Too much alcohol can lead to serious health problems not only enhancing our cholesterols but it is a high risk to a bad health high blood pressure, heart failures, heart strokes and brain strokes etc.
These are few healthy lifestyle changes that enhances the chance to reduce cholesterol levels. Sometimes these healthy lifestyles are not enough to recover cholesterol level. We must take medicines on time as prescribed by your doctor and continue changing your lifestyles that will add up to improve your health. These lifestyle changes that you adopt will keep your medication doses also low. We must remember one thing eat healthy keep healthy.
