Asides eating a healthy diet, you should also aim to get regular physical activity. Exercise can help to lower your cholesterol levels by increasing your HDL (good) cholesterol and reducing your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Aim for at least 30 minutes of activity, five days a week.
In addition to diet and required exercise, you should also avoid smoking and excessive alcohol use. Both smoking and drinking alcohol are linked to higher levels of cholesterol.
- If you really want to bring down those high cholesterol readings without having to use medication, you will need to begin consuming a high fiber diet. It is the soluble fiber found in the foods that we eat that is most effective for bringing down lipid levels.
- A lowering high cholesterol diet is also going to require you to stop those foods that contain high amounts of saturated fats such as beef and pork. One of the worst offenders is bacon. You will find that your cholesterol as well as triglycerides will drop quickly if you substantially eliminate saturated fats.
If you decide to work at lowering cholesterol by diet, be sure to eat lots of healthy fats such as those found in fish and nuts.
- I found it very helpful to follow a structured diet plan while bringing my cholesterol readings down. The South Beach diet, for instance is very effective, even though it is not designed to improve cholesterol readings. The recipes for this diet plan are wonderful, making it an easy diet to follow for the long-term.
Each chapter includes explanations, recipes, exercises, and meal plans, as well as easy-to-find ingredients and step-by-step preparation instructions for beginners and seniors. Whether you want to prevent heart disease or manage a high cholesterol condition, these recipes are delicious and will get you started.