Hypercholesterolemia can increase the risk of heart disease and cardiac events. Lifestyle changes can help lower cholesterol and help increase the effectiveness of medications or avoid them. Here are five lifestyle changes you can try.
1. Reduce weight
Losing 5-10% of your body weight can be effective in lowering your blood cholesterol levels. Start by taking an honest look at your eating habits and daily activities and think about how you can take on this challenge.
When you are bored or frustrated and want to eat, go for a walk instead; if you choose fast food for lunch every day, it is better to bring some healthy food from home; if you are sitting in front of the TV and want to eat fries, eat carrot sticks instead; enjoy food slowly instead of “gobbling”; don’t eat without worrying.
Try to include more activities in your life, such as fear of stairs instead of taking the elevator.
2. Eat healthy food
Although your diet has not been healthy enough for many years, changing your diet can help lower your cholesterol and improve your heart health.
Choose healthy fats: Saturated fats in red meat and dairy products can raise total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, (the “bad” cholesterol). The general rule is not to consume more than 7 percent of your daily calories from saturated fats. Instead, choose relatively healthy lean meats, low-fat dairy products, and monounsaturated fatty acids (found in olive, peanut, and canola oils).
Avoid trans fats: fried foods and many commercially packaged foods such as desserts, cookies and pastries contain trans fats.
Limit cholesterol in your diet: Aim for no more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day, and no more than 200 mg if you have heart disease or diabetes. cholesterol mostly comes from offal, egg yolks and full-fat dairy products. Choose lean meats and skim milk.
Choose whole grains: The various nutrients in whole grains can promote heart health. Choose whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat flour and brown rice.
Eat more fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which helps lower cholesterol. Eat some seasonal fruits; try vegetarian-based casseroles, soups and stir-fries. If you like dried fruit, be careful not to exceed a handful of grams (about 1-2 ounces or 2). Dried fruit has more calories than fresh fruit.
Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids: omega-3 fatty acids lower the “bad” cholesterol in the body. Some fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Other sources include walnuts, almonds and flaxseed.
3, increase exercise
Whether you are overweight or not, exercise can lower cholesterol. Proper exercise can help raise high-density lipoprotein when cholesterol (HDL, “good” cholesterol), with the consent of your doctor, it is best to exercise 30 minutes a day. Spine, even adding 10 minutes of exercise multiple times throughout the day, will help you lose weight. Consider.
A brisk walk during your lunch break
Biking to work
Swimming
Choose a favorite sport
To stay active, find an exercise partner or join an exercise group. Any form of activity is beneficial.
4. Quit Smoking
Quitting smoking helps raise HDL levels, and the benefits don’t end there. Blood pressure drops after 20 minutes of stopping smoking. within 24 hours, the incidence of cardiac events also drops. After 1 year, the risk of heart disease drops by half compared to smokers; after 15 years, the risk of heart disease is equal to that of never-smokers.
5. Drink alcohol in moderation
You should try not to drink alcohol. But if you must drink, for healthy adults, up to one small drink per day for women of all ages and for men older than 65, and up to two small drinks per day for men 65 and younger. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to serious health problems including high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke.
There are times when lifestyle changes alone are not effective in lowering cholesterol. First make sure you are sticking to your chosen lifestyle changes and don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. If your doctor recommends that you take lipid-lowering medications, you should still stick to a healthy lifestyle.