To start with, what is cholesterol? This is a fat-like, waxy substance our bodies need to build healthy cells. While it often has a bad reputation and too much can be dangerous, our bodies can’t function without cholesterol.

If you have Boynton Beach high cholesterol, it means you have high levels of low-density lipoprotein, bad cholesterol, and less high-density lipoprotein, good cholesterol. This increases your risk of heart attacks and heart disease by making plaque in your blood vessels. To avoid this, here is a look at ways to lower high cholesterol.

Consume Less Fatty Food

To lower your cholesterol, consider cutting down on fatty foods. This is particularly on food that contains saturated fats. Saturated fats increase your total cholesterol, mostly found in red meat and full-fat dairy products. Instead, opt for foods rich in unsaturated fat.

Generally, try to eat less butter, meat pies, fatty meat, sausages, biscuits, and cakes. Eat more fruits, vegetables, oily fish like salmon and mackerel, nuts and seeds, and wholegrain foods. Increasing consumption of soluble fibers and whey protein has also been found to lower your cholesterol levels. 

Exercise More

Exercising goes a long way in lowering high cholesterol. Aim at around three hours of exercise a week for the best results. This includes around 30 minutes of exercise five times a week. These include walking fast, cycling, swimming, etc.

Moderate exercise can improve cholesterol by raising the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Try out different exercises to discover what you like doing. There is a higher probability you will keep doing the exercise if you enjoy it.

Lose Excess Weight

Being overweight contributes significantly to high cholesterol. Therefore, one way to manage cholesterol levels is to maintain a healthy weight. You can lose weight by reducing calorie intake. Try to drink tap water instead of sugary beverages, and cut off high-calorie snacks.

Also, try incorporating exercises into your daily activities, such as cycling to work or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Try to engage more in standing activities such as yardwork or cooking. Also, take regular breaks at work to stretch.

Quit Smoking

Smoking can raise cholesterol levels, making you more susceptible to serious problems like strokes, heart attacks, and cancer. Quitting smoking will help lower high cholesterol.

The benefits of quitting smoking occur quickly. Within 30 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure recover from the nicotine-induced spike. In about three months of quitting smoking, your lung function and blood circulation start to improve, and in a year, your risk of heart attack is half that of an active smoker.

Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Drinking alcohol is associated with higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. However, the benefits are not sufficiently significant to recommend alcohol to non-alcoholics. Also, excess alcohol can cause serious health issues such as heart attack, high blood pressure, and stroke.

If you must drink alcohol, do it moderately. This means two drinks a day for men under 65 years and one drink a day for women of all ages and men above 65 years. Avoid drinking much alcohol in a short period or more than 14 units a week.

By adjusting your diet, losing weight, quitting smoking, and exercising more, you will improve your cardiovascular health. While it might sound like a lot to undertake, don’t be intimated. Lowering your high cholesterol only needs adjusting your mindset towards new habits.

Lowering your cholesterol doesn’t mean going the journey alone. Your doctor is an essential partner who can customize your personal action plan. The doctor will also offer advice, encouragement, and motivation to help you live healthier.