Smart Strategies to Prevent High Cholesterol
What you can do to reduce cholesterol levels:
Eat less of the foods that are high in saturated fat. Tropical oils, including palm oil, and animal items, such as cheese, fatty meats, and dairy desserts, are sources of saturated fats. Foods with a greater saturated fat content may also have higher cholesterol.
Select foods low in added sugars, sodium (salt), trans fats, and saturated fats. These foods consist of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, seafood, and low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Consume foods that are naturally high in unsaturated fats (found in avocados, almonds, and vegetable oils like olive oil) and fiber, such as oatmeal and beans (all types, including kidney, lima, pinto, and black). In addition to raising levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol, these foods may help prevent and control elevated levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides.
Strategies and actions for prevention
Consume heart-healthy meals.
You can lower cholesterol and strengthen your heart by making a few dietary changes:
Limit your intake of saturated fats: Your total cholesterol is raised by saturated fats, mostly in red meat and full-fat dairy products. You can lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol, by consuming fewer saturated fats.
- Remove trans fats: Trans fats, sometimes referred to as “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” on food labels, are frequently found in margarine and store-bought cakes, cookies, and crackers. They raise cholesterol levels overall. The Food and Drug Administration prohibits the use of partly hydrogenated vegetable oils.
- Consume foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids: The LDL cholesterol is unaffected by omega-3 fatty acids. Although they lower blood pressure, they also have other heart-healthy advantages. Flaxseeds, walnuts, herring, mackerel, and salmon are foods high in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Increase the amount of soluble fiber: You can lower the amount of cholesterol that enters your system by consuming soluble fiber. Apples, pears, Brussels sprouts, kidney beans, and oatmeal are among the foods that contain soluble fiber.
- Include whey protein: Many of the health advantages associated with dairy products may be due to the presence of whey protein. Supplementing with whey protein has been found to reduce blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol.
- You don’t need to eat to get cholesterol because your body produces all the cholesterol it needs. Consuming a lot of meals high in trans and saturated fats can raise cholesterol and cause heart disease and other related disorders.
Keep your weight in control.
Being overweight, even by a small amount, raises cholesterol levels. Tiny adjustments add up. Try drinking tap water instead of sugary drinks. Eat pretzels or popcorn that have been air-popped, but watch how many calories you consume. Try low-fat candies like jelly beans or sherbet if you’re craving something sweet.
Try to find methods to make your daily routine more active, like parking further away from your workplace or using the stairs rather than the elevator. During your work breaks, take walks. Increase the amount of standing tasks you do, including cooking or gardening.
Obesity and overweight increase LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol levels. Excess body fat slows down the body’s capacity to eliminate LDL cholesterol from the blood and alters how the body uses cholesterol. Your risk of heart disease and stroke is increased by the combo.
Actions you can take:
Doctors typically analyze your body mass index (BMI) to see if your weight is within a healthy level. You can use the CDC’s Assessing Your Weight website to determine your BMI if you know your height and weight. Hip and waist measurements are also occasionally used by doctors to gauge extra body fat.
Discuss what your ideal weight is with your physician. Together with your physician, create a diet and exercise regimen to help you achieve or keep a healthy weight.
Get more exercise and be more active most days of the week.
Engaging in physical activity helps lower cholesterol. Exercise that is moderate in intensity can raise HDL, or “good” cholesterol. Work out for at least 30 minutes five times a week, or engage in vigorous aerobic activity for 20 minutes three times a week, with your doctor’s approval.
Increasing your physical activity levels, even if only briefly, multiple times a day will assist you start losing weight. Take into account:
- Walking vigorously every day during lunch
- Cycling to work
- Participating in a preferred sport
To maintain motivation, think about joining an exercise club or finding an exercise partner.
You can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol and maintain a healthy weight by exercising.
What you can do:
- As a family, go active: The Surgeon General advises individuals to engage in moderate-intensity physical activity, including brisk walking or cycling, for two hours and thirty minutes per week. Every day, kids and teenagers should engage in physical activity for an hour.
- Include physical activity in your daily routine: Do jumping jacks during commercials, park a bit further away, walk to the store, or use the stairs rather than the elevator.
Stop smoking.
Smoking destroys blood vessels, accelerates artery hardening, and significantly raises the risk of heart disease. Don’t start smoking if you don’t already. If you smoke, you can reduce your risk of heart disease by stopping.
Your HDL cholesterol level increases after you quit smoking. The advantages come fast:
- Your heart rate and blood pressure return to normal after 20 minutes of stopping smoking.
- Your lung function and blood circulation start to improve three months after you stop smoking.
- Your chance of developing heart disease is halved within a year of stopping smoking.
What you can accomplish:
Discuss with your physician how to help you stop.
Limit your intake of alcohol.
Excessive use of alcohol can increase blood levels of triglycerides, a form of fat, and cholesterol.
What you can accomplish:
- Avert excessive alcohol consumption. Women should only have one drink each day, while males should limit their intake to two.
- Higher HDL cholesterol levels have been associated with moderate alcohol consumption, but the benefits aren’t substantial enough to suggest alcohol to someone who doesn’t currently drink.
- Drink alcohol sparingly if you do. For healthy individuals, that means that women of all ages and men over 65 may have up to one drink per day, while males 65 and under may have up to two drinks per day.
- Heart failure, strokes, and high blood pressure are just a few of the major health issues that can result from excessive alcohol consumption.
Lower your stress levels.
According to some specialists, there is a connection between stress and cholesterol. Reducing stress may help avoid the elevated cholesterol that it causes.
There are ways to cope with pressure, even if you are unable to eliminate it from your life. For the proper therapy, which may include counseling and medication, those who are worried that their stress is negatively impacting their life should speak with a medical practitioner.
Consult a Physician
Dietary and lifestyle modifications alone may not always be sufficient to reduce cholesterol. Take your cholesterol-lowering medicine as directed by your doctor while maintaining your lifestyle modifications.
Being an advocate for your health and taking responsibility for it crucial in today’s medical environment. As plans change, we seldom see the same doctor twice, and insurance requires us to make adjustments regularly.
Regular bloodwork, often performed as part of your primary care physician’s yearly physical, is necessary to monitor your cholesterol. Do not allow this “silent killer” to ruin your heart’s health for years. Proactive health checks help to build a lifetime of health.
FAQs
How to reduce cholesterol naturally?
The amount of cholesterol that enters your bloodstream might be decreased by soluble fiber. Foods including oatmeal, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples, and pears are good sources of soluble fiber. Whey protein should be added. Dairy products include whey protein, which may be the cause of many of the health advantages associated with them.
What lowers cholesterol quickly?
Whole grains and oats. LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, can be decreased with the aid of fiber found in oats and other whole grains like barley and brown rice.
Nuts, omega-3 fatty acids, and more.
Avocados; leafy green vegetables; lentils and beans; fruits; and olive oil.
What foods prevent cholesterol?
Low consumption of foods high in dietary fiber: Consuming foods high in dietary fiber, especially soluble fiber, will lower blood levels of harmful (LDL) cholesterol. Make sure your diet includes foods high in fiber by picking fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds each day.
Can cholesterol be cured?
Combining medicine plus weight loss (achieved through diet and exercise) can nearly always reduce cholesterol values, particularly LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
Is potato good for cholesterol?
Due to their high soluble fiber content, potatoes are safe for those with high cholesterol to eat. Eating potatoes has several health advantages for the body in addition to lowering cholesterol.
References:
- Preventing high cholesterol. (2024, May 15). Cholesterol. https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/prevention/index.html
- Can lifestyle changes benefit your cholesterol? (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935
- Admin. (2020, November 30). 7 ways to prevent high cholesterol. Elite Hospital Kingwood. https://elitekingwood.com/7-ways-to-prevent-high-cholesterol/