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If your cholesterol numbers are less than ideal on your recent lab results then this is could be great news for you!
There are three easy steps that you can take that may lower your numbers without a prescription.
1. Switch out your oils!
Fats are not the bad guys that are causing your cholesterol to increase unless you are consuming unhealthy ones. Highly processed oils are what wreak havoc on healthy cholesterol levels. These oils include vegetable, canola, and peanut oils just to name a few. Hydrogenated oils and other unhealthy fats are usually found in processed foods such as crackers, chips, snacks foods, etc. The best way to monitor which oils you are eating is to prepare your own food at home. Also avoiding packaged, processed foods will do wonders for balancing cholesterol numbers.
Switch from processed oils to healthier ones such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil for low temperature cooking and salad dressings and Avocado or Unrefined Coconut Oil for high heat cooking. And of course, don't overconsume any oils, use in moderation.
2. Cut out the sugar!
So, what does sugar have to do with high cholesterol?
Plenty! There is a relationship between blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels. Glucose levels in blood tend to increase at about an hour after a meal. The muscles and the cells absorb glucose in the bloodstream to be used as energy and then the sugar level goes back to normal. However, if too much sugar is consumed, the body is not able to use the extra sugar in the bloodstream, it is converted into stored energy in the form of fat. Most of the time diabetes is preceded by obesity and cholesterol levels tend to be high. Cholesterol has something to do with the amount of fat in the blood and diabetes with the levels of sugar in the blood. When these two situations come together, a disastrous health condition may occur. Limiting sugar intake or cutting it out completely may be the answer to lowering cholesteol numbers quickly.
3. Get moving!
How much of an impact can you really expect exercise to have on cholesterol levels?
If you’re exercising the right way, the answer to that last question can be “a lot,” according to Patrick McBride, MD, MPH, director of the preventive cardiology program and the cholesterol clinic at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Regular exercise affects your cholesterol and triglycerides in two main ways.
Exercise helps lower triglycerides, which at high levels are linked to coronary artery disease.
Exercise also raises your levels of HDL, or the “good” cholesterol.
“Consistent regular exercise can lower triglycerides by 30% to 40% and boost HDL by 5 to 8 mg/dL,” says McBride.
Walking, swimming, hiking, and biking or anything that gets you moving for at least 30 minutes a day are all great ways to reap these cholesterol lowering benefits of exercise.
By implementing these three steps into your daily life you may be able to lower your cholesterol numbers naturally! Start taking these steps in the right direction for your best health today!
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