If you have high cholesterol or are worried about getting it in the future, you can make changes to your lifestyle that will help improve your health
If you have high cholesterol or are worried about getting it in the future, you can make changes to your lifestyle that will help improve your health. One of the best things you can do to feel better is to start eating a heart-healthy diet. To help you get started, we’ve put together 30 days’ worth of cholesterol diet recipes.
What does it mean to have high cholesterol?
High cholesterol is a health problem that makes your blood vessels clogged, which raises your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. It can get very dangerous because there are no signs of high cholesterol. It is usually found during routine blood tests and is very serious.
Cholesterol is only good for the body in small amounts. The body needs a small amount of cholesterol to build cell membranes, make hormones, and keep your metabolism working properly. Too much cholesterol in the blood can build up along the walls of the arteries. This includes the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, the carotid arteries that supply blood to the brain, and the arteries that supply blood to the legs and intestines.
What Makes Cholesterol Levels High?
There are many things that can raise your blood cholesterol level, such as smoking, not getting enough exercise, and eating poorly. High blood pressure and diabetes are two examples of underlying conditions that can make you more likely to have high cholesterol. Having high cholesterol runs in families, so if your grandparents or parents have it, you are more likely to have it too.
What is the diet for cholesterol?
The cholesterol diet is a way of eating that adds more foods that lower cholesterol and takes away or cuts back on foods that raise cholesterol. Eating the wrong foods is one of the main reasons why cholesterol levels are high. Eating the right foods will help you get your health back on track. The diet for cholesterol:
- Eliminates saturated and trans fats that raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower your HDL (good) cholesterol, such as baked goods, processed meats, French fries, crackers and margarine
- Increases healthy fats such as nuts, avocado, and unsaturated oils like olive and canola
- Limits foods with high cholesterol like shrimp, liver, egg yolks and whole milk dairy products
- Includes plenty of fibre, fruits, vegetables, and fish that are high in omega 3 fatty acids
- Limits salt and alcohol intake
Does the Cholesterol Diet Work?
Eating a diet that will lower your cholesterol is a heart-healthy lifestyle change you should be making ASAP if you have high cholesterol. Eating the right foods will increase your good cholesterol and lower your bad cholesterol, helping you reduce your cholesterol in a healthy, natural way. Keep in mind that dietary changes aren’t always enough, and be sure to check with your health care provider to see if additional measures are needed to lower your cholesterol levels.
