Cholesterol is a fatty substance that blocks arteries and prevents blood from reaching the heart. It is therefore important to know how to lower levels of LDL, the "bad" cholesterol. Fortunately, lowering LDL is much easier than raising HDL and will improve your overall health.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Follow a Balanced Diet
Step 1. Limit your consumption of saturated fat
The Ministry of Health recommends following a low cholesterol diet while minimizing the intake of saturated fat. The simplest way to do this is to eliminate pre-cooked and processed foods from your diet and focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains instead.
What are the main sources of saturated (also called trans) fats? Think animal meats (chicken, beef, lamb, pork) and dairy products. The more "vegetarian" your diet is, the lower your fat consumption will be (unless your vegetables are drowned in butter). Just one tablespoon of these foods contains 7g of fat. The American Heart Association believes that saturated fat should not represent more than 7% of your diet
Step 2. Increase the amount of soluble fiber you eat every day
Fruit, vegetables and whole grains are an excellent source of this. They help you to expel cholesterol from the body thanks to the stool and not to reabsorb it. Your grandmother probably told you that too!
Oats, walnuts, beans, apples, pears and flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber. These absorb cholesterol and prevent it from remaining in your body
Step 3. Choose foods that contain healthy fats
You can find them in fish, avocado seeds and nuts, they are good and you need them. You need to look for polyunsaturated fats. But be careful: a handful of walnuts is good for your health, a whole pack a day is not!
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When using oils, choose olive, canola, or peanut oils. But remember that they don't have to be additions but rather replace the butter and margarine. Remember that moderation is the key, even if you fill up on healthy fats it doesn't mean that you are following a healthy diet!
Extra virgin olive oil is the best because it is less processed. Do not exceed 30 g of oil per day to reap all the benefits
Step 4. Increase the amount of food that contains sterols or stanols
These include special margarines and condiments, as well as fruit and vegetables in their natural state. These are relatively new products, so read the labels. Some companies now add them to orange juice, granola bars, and cereal.
Stanols and sterols have a molecular composition very similar to cholesterol. When they are present in the bloodstream, they prevent the absorption of cholesterol since "they occupy all the available space". In this way the LDL is expelled with the rest of the waste material
Step 5. Drink, eat and cook with low-fat dairy and dairy products only
The DASH diet, the Mediterranean diet and the Ornish diet (all focused on the well-being of the heart) include low quantities of foods of animal origin, including dairy products. This is because dairy products (and animal products in general) are high in bad fats and cholesterol.
- Just because a food is high in cholesterol doesn't mean you should completely avoid it. An egg from time to time does no harm. Doctors currently focus more on bad fats.
- You can replace animal protein with other sources such as beans and other protein vegetables. Have you ever tried almond milk? What better reason to do so since your health is in question? Soy is also a good solution: 25g of soy protein (i.e. two and a half cups of soy milk per day) lowers LDL levels by 5-6%.
Step 6. Fill up on Omega-3s
If you eat fast food often and have abandoned your healthy Mediterranean habits, then your diet is anything but healthy and well balanced. The ratio between Omega-3 and Omega-6 you consume must be 1: 1, to achieve it you have to eat fish.
Mackerel, salmon, lake trout, yellowfin tuna and halibut are all fatty fish that help lower blood pressure and reduce blood clots. If you don't like fish, you can get your ration of fatty acids from rapeseed oil and flax seeds. Always remember that food sources are better than supplements
Part 2 of 3: Maintain Healthy Habits and Lifestyle
Step 1. Get slim
If you reduce your body weight, you also lower bad cholesterol. Even just 5 kg less can help. Your best bet is to have a diet and exercise.
Fats are particularly high in calories (9 calories per gram while carbohydrates and proteins provide only 4 for the same amount). So if you've started calculating calories to regain your waist, cut fat from your diet
Step 2. Train regularly
A sedentary lifestyle is the main culprit in cases of hypercholesterolemia. We recommend 30-60 minutes of exercise each day and at least 150 minutes per week (including 75 of strenuous activity). You will feel fitter and healthier.
Choose the activities that you enjoy such as swimming, running, cycling, hiking, dancing or walking. If you find something you like, don't stop! Also make sure it's right for you, you don't have to lift weights or run for hours, just stay in motion
Step 3. You can drink from time to time
If you don't drink alcohol, don't start. But if you have drinks from time to time on social occasions, be moderate. A glass of wine in the evening (two if you are male) can help you lower the LDL, but only one glass!
- Excessive alcohol consumption, on the other hand, causes a surge in triglyceride levels. Something more than an occasional drink harms your body and could lead you to alcoholism.
- The term "a glass" means 150 ml of wine, 240 ml of malt liqueur, 360 ml of beer or 45 ml of spirits.
Step 4. Stop smoking
It is now universally known that smoking lowers the level of good cholesterol (HDL). It also makes daily training more difficult so it affects your health at various levels. Quitting smoking is a great idea for many reasons.
- If you haven't already been bombarded with countless valid reasons to quit smoking, then you are probably a hermit. Smoking is a major contributor to heart disease, cancer and other very serious diseases. It also hurts those around you too.
- It is not too late! In fact, as soon as you stop smoking, your lungs begin to regenerate on their own, the same goes for your wallet!
Part 3 of 3: Making the Process Easier
Step 1. Get someone to support you
Everything is much simpler when there is someone who supports you. Do not be ashamed of what you are going through, it is very common and the American Heart Association states that every individual over 20 years of age should regularly undergo cholesterol tests every 5 years. That's why it's important to involve family and friends!
Eating habits, training and lifestyle can be hindered by the social context. If your friends smoke, you are tempted to smoke, if they eat, you are inclined to do it too and if they organize a “poker & whiskey” evening it will be difficult for you to give up to go out for a run! In order to help you they need to know what's going on, that's the only way they will be 100% supportive
Step 2. Find out
There are many easy-to-understand publications and brochures that can give you a thorough understanding of the problem. You can contact your local ASL, do some online research or go to the library. This way you will know how the low fat diet can be effective. After all, knowledge is the real power! When you know your enemy, you know how to defeat him.
Now that you're on the right track, involve family, friends, and your doctor. Continue your research but make sure the sources of information are reliable
Step 3. Increase HDL Cholesterol Levels
Accelerate the rate at which your body sends LDL to the liver to be disposed of or reused. To do this, you need to increase high-density lipoproteins that is good cholesterol (HDL). This prevents your body and bloodstream from carrying cholesterol and triglycerides. Sometimes, though not always, these two elements are related.
Dark chocolate, green tea, and vitamin D raise HDL levels. Although many people believe that a glass of red wine or another alcoholic drink, every day, has the same effect, alcohol is dangerous for the body especially for the elderly, those who are overweight and for those who already suffer from an underlying systemic disease. If your glass of alcohol is not a cabernet, then you have an excuse to eat chocolate
Step 4. Find a mate who like you has the same problem
One in four Italian adults suffers from hypercholesterolemia. In practice, among your friends / acquaintances there will be at least a handful of people who, like you, must control their cholesterol. So here you have a good chance of finding a partner to share the experience with.
Plan meals with the aim of lowering cholesterol. Become a training partner. Find every good opportunity, however small, to get active (take the dog for a walk or go swimming). When you have someone to share all this with, the goal appears more achievable
Step 5. Discuss with your doctor
He will be able to give you a lot of information on how to control and lower LDL cholesterol and even prescribe drugs if diet and exercise are not enough. There are many options, don't be afraid to ask!
- Doctors aim for an LDL level below 160 but age, familiarity, medical history and whether the patient is a smoker must also be taken into consideration before determining the numerical goal to be achieved. You may not be a good candidate for drug therapy, listen to your healthcare provider's suggestions.
- Statins are the most widely used drugs in the fight against hypercholesterolemia. If a healthy lifestyle is not enough, medicines can reduce the LDL by 20-50%.
Advice
- Garlic, onion, ginger, curry and chilli are all excellent anti-inflammatory agents for your blood vessels!
- The American Heart Association recommends consuming lean meats by removing oily skin from poultry and cooking without the use of saturated or trans fats.
- Replace juices and sodas with herbal teas and water. Black tea reduces the amount of lipids in the blood.
