Dealing with high cholesterol can be a difficult process. There are many things that you can do to lower you cholesterol and get your numbers back into a healthy or normal range. “Did you know, that one of the best (and easiest) things that you can do for your high cholesterol is to incorporate foods for reducing cholesterol into your daily diet? It doesn’t take much more than that to totally change your cholesterol for the better.“
Typically when high cholesterol numbers come in, your doctor will first tell you to change your diet. This means cutting out all the yummy, but bad for you foods; like French fries, pizza, burgers, and steak. It’s sad to cut out favorite foods. But it doesn’t have to be all bad. Often you can make small changes to the foods you love and add in foods for reducing cholesterol and often just those two things together will be enough for a serious decrease in your high cholesterol levels.
When it comes to your favorite dishes the best thing to do is the look at them in a new way. First, look at your favorite meals and see if there is a way to switch out some of the ingredient for healthier options.
For example; change any meats into leaner cuts or into chicken, turkey or tofu choices. With dairy, opt for the low fat or non fat options. If you use canned goods or broth in your cooking pick the low sodium or non fat varieties. Add in vegetables whenever possible. On top of making small changes to the foods you already love, try to add in a few healthier foods for reducing cholesterol into your daily routine.
Here are a few ideas on how to add in foods for reducing cholesterol into your meal plans.
1. Breakfast
Try to have a breakfast of oatmeal every morning. Oats are high in soluble fiber; which helps to move cholesterol through your body and prevents it from absorbing into your blood stream. Oats have been proven to help lower cholesterol levels when regularly added to the diet. But watch out for sugar and syrup additives. These foods are often high in saturated fats and sugars which are counter-productive to your cholesterol health. Instead add blueberries or sliced strawberries to your morning oatmeal and get the added benefits of antioxidants.
2. Snacks
Add a handful of walnuts or almonds into your daily snack. Nuts are high in fats that are good for you and your cholesterol. But they are also high in calories, so keep your snack to just a handful.
3. Lunch or Dinner
Try for a salmon salad with an olive oil vinaigrette for your large daily meal. Salmon is one of the best foods for reducing cholesterol. Not only will it help to lower high bad cholesterol, but it will help to increase the good cholesterol. Adding the olive oil will also help to keep your arteries running clear and clean.
4. Drinks – Add in a couple cups of orange juice into your day. Orange juice is high in antioxidants and other minerals that are good for lowering cholesterol. Green tea is another of the foods for reducing cholesterol, just make sure you drink enough cups of it to make a difference to your health. If you want to live a healthy and longer life yet suffer from the wrath of high cholesterol levels, below are some easy, sure-fire methods that you can use to help you control your overall cholesterol count.
5. Consider taking medications: If you happen to have high or borderline high levels of cholesterol, your healthcare provider may require you to stick to a drug regimen to instantly control your lipid count. There are several types of cholesterol-lowering medications that can be found on the market but the most common drug that is prescribed by most physicians are statins. It is believed that statins can lower bad cholesterol by up to 50%. Consult your doctor and take note of some of its side and long-term effects on your health.
6. Exercise: A 30-minute physical activity thrice or four times a week can help boost your good cholesterol and lower your LDL count. Not only it aids in controlling your cholesterol count, but frequent exercise aids in slowing the aging process, it also boosts your immune system, increases your stamina and is a good stress reliever. So get up from the couch and put on your shoes and start exercising! You’ll feel good in no time!
7. Pump your meal with fiber: Fresh fruits, vegetables, cereals, bran, grains and other fiber-enriched foods are good sources of antioxidants that are good for the heart and body. These types of foods are classified under dietary fiber which is known to have cholesterol lowering properties. Thus, it makes you feel full minus the cholesterol guilt and sugar cravings.
8. Eat more fish: Fish like sardines, salmon, tuna and mackerel are known to have high sources of omega-3 fatty acids which are good for the heart. Eating fishes
or taking in fish oil supplements can have a strong effect on your total cholesterol levels which helps in raising the good cholesterol. AHA or the American Heart association highly recommends those who have high levels of cholesterol to eat fish two to three times a week or even more.
9. Consider cholesterol lowering supplements: Lifestyle changes such as physical exercise and a modified diet may not be sufficient enough to meet your cholesterol goal. If you want to consider taking in natural supplements that helps lower cholesterol, you may want to check it first with your doctor and await their approval especially if you’re under drug therapy. Some drugs and some supplements may not be combined due to adverse effects and drug interactions.