Cut out sugar.
As mentioned earlier, sugar is a huge culprit when it comes to the production of the artery clogging cholesterol. Before you start taking drugs to control your cholesterol, consider giving up all foods with added sugar. If you need a boost of sweetness, eat an apple, berries or other fresh fruit. It has sugar, but it also has fiber that can level out the amount of sugar in your blood stream. Some foods with added sugar have a double whammy, because they also contain trans fats. They’re in all types of food from pancake mixes to donuts and microwave dinners.
Increase fiber intake.
There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is primarily the cholesterol lowering type. Soluble dissolves into a gel during digestion and insoluble can’t be digested. When you consume food with soluble fiber, it helps increase the HDL or good cholesterol levels, and reduce the LDL or bad cholesterol levels. Not only does soluble fiber trap bad cholesterol, it feeds bacteria in the gut that lower cholesterol levels.
Get exercise.
You do have side effects from a prescription of exercise, but they’re the side effects that are good. Exercise helps you lose weight, improves your metabolism, aids your digestion and increases your endurance and strength. You’ll end up with not only more energy, but also lower bad cholesterol levels and increased good cholesterol. If the activity is intense, which means your heart rate is 85% of maximum, you’ll get results faster and see better numbers.
- Switch to olive oil, which lowers bad cholesterol. Eat more vegetables, nuts, seeds, salmon, turmeric, garlic, green tea and sweet potatoes. These are all cholesterol lowering foods.
- Have a meatless Monday. When you add beans and legumes to your diet, it can improve your heart health and is linked to lowering cholesterol in the blood. Opt for whole grains like quinoa and brown ride.
- Grass fed beef and free-range eggs or pastured eggs have been shown to boost omega-3 levels and lower cholesterol levels. Other ways to increase omega-3 is to eat fatty fish like salmon or flaxseed.
- If you drink more than one (for women) or two (for men) alcoholic drinks a day, cut back. If you smoke, quit smoking. Both help reduce cholesterol.
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