Cholesterol, a waxy substance produced by the liver and found in certain foods, is needed to make vitamin D and some hormones, build cell walls, and creates bile salts that help you digest fat. However, too much cholesterol in the body can lead to serious problems like heart disease, stroke etc. Many factors can contribute to high cholesterol, but the good news is there are things you can do to control them.
The aim of this post is to cut to the chase and answer the question above
The most important weapon in your cholesterol-lowering strategy is a healthy life styles
the aspects of healthy living we shall focus on in today's post are:
• Nutrition
• Social Habits
• Exercise
1) Nutrition
Foods that can help lower your triglycerides and LDL ('bad') cholesterol (also raise your good cholesterol/ HDL) include:
• Cold water fish especially salmon
• Fresh water fish which are high in essential fats ('essential' because your body can't make them so you can only get them from your food)
• Fish oil supplements (not all supplements are created equal: you must take one whose purity and potency are guaranteed, and which is manufactured following Good Manufacturing Processes, to Pharmaceutical Grade quality;
• Omega-3 containing nuts eg walnuts
• Garlic
• Low-glycemic carbs, many of which include vegetables and fruit
• Vegetables especially dark green leafy types
• Raw fruits(whole fruit, not processed fruit like juices)
• Foods that contain niacin (meat, poultry, fish, leafy green vegetables) and supplements.
What is niacin?
Niacin is a B vitamin. It occurs naturally in plants and animals, and is also added to many foods as a vitamin supplement. It is present in many vitamin and nutritional supplements.
It is used to treat and prevent a lack of natural niacin in the body, and to lower cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. It is also used to lower the risk of heart attack in people with high cholesterol who have already had a heart attack.
However do not take Niacin supplements in isolation without speaking first to your doctor. It important that you get it in the right amount, in the right combination with other vitamins and nutrients. The Essentials mega-antioxidant and mineral combination contains a balanced, bioavailable combination of essential vitamins (including niacin) and minerals. I highly recommend it, and suggest you make it your baseline source of multivitamin and mineral supplementation, to which you can then add the fish oil or other supplement.
• Soya
Foods to avoid or cut down because they raise your triglyceride levels
• Foods containing refined or processed, sugar (so always carefully read your food labels and avoid foods containing any of the '-ose' sugars eg sucrose, fructose, dextrose - any ingredient ending in '-ose' is a simple sugar, which gets converted to triglycerides in your body.
• White bread, white rice, white pasta
• Grain-based foods
• Excess saturated fats - saturated fats are not all bad - your body does need them to make vital components of your cell.
2) Social Habits
• Smoking is a no-no. Period.
• Alcohol - usually ok if you have the occasional drink but if you are already in the danger zone and have raised triglycerides, you should avoid alcohol altogether because the sugar it contains gets rapidly converted to triglycerides
3) Physical Exercise
• Regular exercise including cardio/aerobic and strength training exercise, helps improve your cholesterol profile.
I hope this info helps if yes drop a comment
In my subsequent posts I will talk about EXERCISE in details
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