If your cholesterol test results show that you do indeed have high cholesterol, it can be a big red flag but it’s also possible to lower your numbers with simple lifestyle changes.
Before you get on the medication bandwagon, try a more natural approach to improving your health.
In this article, we’ll give you 10 simple tips for lowering your cholesterol naturally that can put off the need for taking medication.
1. Ban Trans Fats: When your grocery shopping, any time you see “partially hydrogenated oil” on a food label – put it back on the shelf. These are the bad fats you don’t want in your diet.
2. Scale Back: Get to a weight that’s healthy for you based on your age. The most important thing is to build healthy habits so you can keep cholesterol levels low.
3. Get Moving: Exercising at least 2 1/2 hours a week is enough to improve LDL and triglycerides as well as raising HDL. Buddy up with an exercise partner or taking a fun exercise class, can help keep you on track.
4. Fill Up on Fibre: High-fiber foods like beans, prunes, apples, and oatmeal reduce how much cholesterol your body absorbs, and they fill you up so you don’t crave unhealthy snacks.
5. Choose Fish: Try to eat fish at least two to four times a week to get the full benefit of heart-healthy omega-3 fats. Your go-to should be bluefish tuna, sardines, and wild salmon.
6. Choose Olive Oil Over Butter: Substituting heart-healthy extra-virgin olive oil for butter can reduce LDL cholesterol by up to 15%.
7. Eat Nuts: Nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashews, and most others contain sterols, which stop the body from absorbing cholesterol.
8. Relax More: Stress, in addition to an unhealthy diet, can send cholesterol through the roof. De-stress with a relaxing walk with your bestie, unwind with a good book, or take to the yoga mat when you need to escape stress.
10. Spice It Up: Spices like cinnamon, coriander, black pepper, ginger, cumin, and garlic do more packing a punch to your food, they can also lower cholesterol.
11. Quit Smoking: When you quit smoking, that can help improve your cholesterol numbers by raising LDL and lowering HDL.
Get Your Cholesterol Test in Bexley at Intrigue Health in London
Monitoring cholesterol at regular intervals is paramount for maintaining good health. Take a step closer to improving your health by getting a cholesterol test in Medway, Gravesend, or Bexley.
Schedule your appointment online and take your first step towards a healthier future.
