Improving cholesterol levels not only means lowering LDL, but increasing HDL. By working to improve your cholesterol levels, you will be able to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Since the body can produce sufficient amounts of its own cholesterol, dietary cholesterol must be controlled. With discipline, you can take steps to increase the good HDL cholesterol and lower the bad LDL cholesterol.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Understanding Cholesterol
Step 1. Learn the good cholesterol
HDL cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein, functions as the body's waste disposal system in the blood. HDL combs the blood for bad LDL cholesterol, and removes it from the liver. HDL reduces body inflammation and also helps fight Alzheimer's disease.
Step 2. Ask your doctor for a blood cholesterol test
High cholesterol has no obvious side effects, but it can be harmful to health. Diseases caused by bad cholesterol are serious diseases, and should be treated by medical professionals. Your doctor may suggest lifestyle and diet changes if your HDL level is less than 60 mg/dL.
While there are home cholesterol tests that can be used, they are not as accurate or reliable as laboratory blood tests
Step 3. Calculate total blood cholesterol
Achieving good cholesterol levels is a combination of limiting LDL and increasing HDL. Even if you take care of one of them, it's best to understand the overall concept if you've been ignoring the others. To calculate total blood cholesterol, add LDL, HDL, and 20 percent triglycerides.
- Triglycerides are body fat. So, keep the numbers lower.
- Try to keep your total blood cholesterol below 200. Blood cholesterol levels above 240 are considered high.
Part 2 of 3: Increase High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
Step 1. Set a good HDL target
Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood. People with HDL below 60 mg/dL are considered at risk for heart disease. Aim for higher levels of good cholesterol (more than 60 mg/dL, but less than 200 mg/dL).
People with HDL levels less than 40 mg/dL are considered at high risk of heart disease
Step 2. Lose excess weight
If you lose 3 kg, you can increase the good HDL which eliminates the bad LDL cholesterol. Weight loss is a combination of healthy eating and exercise. You can also lose weight without either method, but the most successful programs can be achieved with a combination of the two. For more information, see this guide.
- Don't intentionally starve yourself. Losing weight means eating healthy food in the right portions at the right time. If you intentionally starve, your body will prepare for a crisis and start storing fat, almost like a bear preparing for hibernation. So, eat enough in the morning, and reduce the portion at the next meal.
- Don't expect the weight to drop quickly. If you manage to lose 1 kg in a week, it is considered very successful. Most people who try to lose a substantial amount of weight have lost heart and have given up on the real challenge because they haven't seen any tangible results. Remember that a diet with slow and steady progress is better than a yo-yo diet.
Step 3. Exercise regularly
Increase your heart rate for half an hour 5 times a week with activities such as playing basketball, sweeping leaves, walking, running, biking, or swimming. Working out in the gym is also great, but try not to drastically change your daily routine. Enthusiasm for a new and exciting sport usually ends with a return to a sedentary lifestyle.
- If you're having a hard time finding exercise time, divide the physical activity into three 10-minute sessions. For example, while at work, try a brisk 10-minute walk before your lunch break and during or after lunch, and when you get home. If it's still difficult, you may not be ready to practice an intense exercise routine.
- To maximize the benefits of exercise, try interval training. Interval training consists of short intense activity followed by a longer period of light activity. Try running one lap on the track at full speed, followed by a jog of three laps.
Step 4. Choose healthy fats
Fat should only be consumed in moderation, and choose lean cuts of meat. Try replacing meat with vegetables or beans once or twice a week in your regular diet. Vegetarians should also make sure they are getting proper nutrition every day.
Ideally, most of the fat consumed should be monounsaturated fat because this type of fat is low in cholesterol, but maintains HDL. Monounsaturated fats include nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans), avocados, olive oil, sesame oil, and tahini
Step 5. Drink alcohol in moderation
Interestingly, alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of heart disease. One or two drinks per day can increase HDL. The drink that was specifically associated with high HDL and low LDL was red wine.
Step 6. Quit smoking
Smoking habits are associated with lower HDL levels. The risk of heart disease and other illnesses drops dramatically within hours of quitting. In addition, by quitting smoking, it is also easier for you to exercise.
Part 3 of 3: Lowering Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
Step 1. Ask your doctor if you should take medication to lower LDL
The body may not be able to regulate cholesterol due to age, disability, or other health problems. Optimal LDL level is less than 100 mg/dL although a number between 100 mg/dL and 129 mg/dL is still considered safe. Your doctor may suggest medication if your LDL level is 160 or higher.
- The most common and widely chosen cholesterol-lowering drugs are statins.
- People who show negative reactions to statins are usually given treatment to fight cholesterol, such as cholesterol absorption inhibitors, resins, and lipid-lowering therapy.
Step 2. Eat certain foods to lower LDL
Eat oats, whole grains, and high-fiber foods. Brazil nuts, almonds, and walnuts can reduce LDL. Since many of these foods are snacks, you can add them to a heart-healthy diet.
- Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, flaxseed, fish oil and flaxseed supplements can lower LDL and increase HDL. Examples of fatty fish are salmon, side fish, haddock, catfish, sardines, bluefish, tuna, and anchovies.
- Eating substances called plant sterols and stanols can also help. Sterols and stanols are found in orange juice, yogurt drinks, and some margarines that are formulated to fight bad cholesterol.
- One easy way to increase your consumption of good fats is to replace butter with canola or olive oil, or add flaxseed.
Step 3. Limit saturated fat and trans fat
Saturated fats and trans fats are "bad" fats, as well as lowering HDL and raising LDL. Replacing saturated and trans fats with good fats (see section above) will help lower LDL levels.
- Examples of saturated fats are butter, butter, lard, whipped cream, coconut, and palm oil.
- Examples of trans fats are partially hydrogenated oils, margarine, ramen, and fast food.
Step 4. Replace high-calorie drinks with water and green tea
Water provides essential nutrients for the body's organs and does not contain sugar that can raise LDL. Green tea contains substances that reduce bad cholesterol. Although more and more tests reveal the risks and benefits of coffee, most people agree that coffee is associated with increased cholesterol levels.
Since most recent research has debunked the old myth about coffee's negative health effects, you don't need to avoid it. With a balanced diet, coffee in moderation is safe
Warning
- Avoid trans fats that lower HDL and raise LDL. Foods that contain trans fats include butter and some margarines, cakes and biscuits, ramen, fried fast food, frozen foods, donuts, pastries, candy, crackers, chips, breakfast cereals, energy bars, gravy, animal fats, and sprinkled.
- Follow all doctor's advice.
