Are you constantly worrying about high cholesterol? High levels of bad cholesterol in your blood for a longer time can increase your risk of heart problems. While prescribed medications can improve your cholesterol levels, there are simple and effective ways to reduce it and improve your overall heart health.
What is Cholesterol? What’s the Difference Between Bad and Good Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance or a type of lipid molecule that is found throughout your body. It plays many vital functions, such as supporting liver functions, developing cells, and aiding the production of Vitamin D and hormones. While you need cholesterol in the right amount, too much of it can raise your risk of heart-related problems. We get this extra cholesterol from the foods we eat.
There are two types of cholesterol – Good and Bad.
1. LDL or Bad Cholesterol: Fatty deposits that clog your blood vessels. You’d want to keep them low.
2. HDL or Good Cholesterol: Proteins that transport bad cholesterol to your liver to get rid of it. You would want to keep them high.
Our body can naturally filter out the extra cholesterol we don’t require, but this also depends on our health conditions, genetics, and lifestyle. For instance, eating greasy and fatty food, such as fried food, animal fat, cheese, red meat, and processed food, can quickly increase your cholesterol levels.
Other factors that affect our cholesterol levels are:
- Older age
- Lack of exercise
- Heredity
- Menopause
When and How Often Should We Get Our Cholesterol Levels Checked?
If you have crossed 30 years, you must get your cholesterol checked (lipid profile test) once a year. However, your doctor will guide you on how often you should check. It will depend on your age and other health conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Knowing your numbers can help you manage your cholesterol levels effectively with superfoods, dietary supplements, lifestyle changes, and medications if required.
How to Maintain Normal Cholesterol Levels
If your are lipid panel test shows a normal count, follow these simple tips to maintain your normal cholesterol levels:
- Avoid saturated and trans fats and any form of refined sugar. These substances can trigger cholesterol levels over a period.
- Walk at least 30 minutes daily to boost your HDL cholesterol level.
- Manage stress and anxiety mindfully and improve your general wellness by taking supplements or practicing yoga and meditation.
- Quit smoking if you do. Smoking is one of the biggest enemies of heart health. Smoking speeds up the clogging and narrowing of blood vessels (arteries), and the chemicals can damage your heart muscles.
How to Reduce Cholesterol Levels with Diet and Lifestyle Changes
High cholesterol doesn’t have any symptoms, and therefore, many times, it goes unnoticed in patients until something catastrophic happens, like high blood pressure. If your cholesterol levels show on the higher side, do not panic. There are plenty of easy ways to bring it down and maintain it.
Medications will help control and manage cholesterol levels, but they won’t be effective if you don’t make conscious efforts to change your food habits and lifestyle.
Add Heart Healthy Foods to Your Meals
- Reduce the consumption of saturated and trans fats. That ought to be your first step in lowering cholesterol levels.
Saturated fats like red meat and cheese, as well as full-fat dietary products and trans fats like refined oil, refined sugar, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and store-bought processed foods, raise LDL (bad cholesterol).
- Eat food rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, such as walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds, salmon, tuna, and mackerel.
Fatty fishes can reduce fat deposits in your blood (also known as triglycerides), significantly lowering the risks of heart diseases, blood clots, and high blood pressure.
While Omega-3 fatty acids don’t affect LDL cholesterol levels, they are known to boost HDL levels – the good cholesterol. However, instead of frying the fish, we advise you to bake or grill fish to avoid consuming unhealthy fats.
- Add whey protein, olive oil, and avocado to your diet. They are known to control high blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, and improve overall heart health by reducing the risks of heart attack.
Consume Deep-Sea Fish Oil – Omega-3 Fatty Acid Capsules as a Value-Driven Supplement
While almonds and walnuts have a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids, you cannot consume more than a handful as they are all high in calories. Besides, many of us cannot tolerate the smell of fish and, therefore, avoid eating fatty fish.
So, if you are one of us, Omega-3 Fatty Acid Capsule by neuherbs is your perfect solution to lower bad cholesterol and boost good cholesterol. neuherbs’ omega 3 supplement – Mini Deep Sea Fish Oil - comprises double strength 1000 mg fish oil, 360mg EPA, and 240mg DHA for heart, bones, skin, and muscle function.
Studies have shown that one Omega-3 Fatty Acid Capsule twice a day can significantly improve heart health and reduce the risks of heart issues by managing cholesterol levels and improving blood circulation.
The addition of Vitamin E and Vitamin D3 makes neuherbs Mini Deep Sea Fish Oil a natural more effective, helping promote healthy joints, bones, skin and circulation. Omega-3 Fatty acids also help improve brain functioning and memory.
Increase Your Physical Activity
Regular exercise has numerous benefits, from improving heart and muscle health to weight reduction to fighting anxiety, stress, and depression. Moderate to high-intensity workouts, 30 minutes a day, three times a week, can help raise HDL cholesterol levels, clear clogged blood vessels, and improve blood circulation, thereby decreasing blood pressure and reducing body fat.
Even losing 10% of your body weight can significantly improve heart health. Simple workouts like walking after lunch or dinner, riding a bicycle, playing a sport, walking your dog, yoga, and weightlifting can greatly reshape your mental and physical body.
Do practice these tips to see a significant drop in your bad cholesterol and blood pressure levels. You can also Ask an Experts at neuherbs for a personalized free consultation about your heart health.
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