Are you concerned about reducing your cholesterol so that it won't affect the health of your heart and other organs in the body? If you are, then it is a good idea to know about these 7 ways you can reduce cholesterol levels naturally at home.
1. Exercise Regularly
This is a common-sense tip for anyone who wants to reduce cholesterol levels. Being physically active can help you lose weight, but it also lowers your LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol — the good kind of cholesterol that helps your body process triglycerides and protect against heart disease. It's important to get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week for at least three months before seeing positive results in your health risks.
If you want to get even more out of your exercise routine, join a sports team or fitness class! You might find that this helps you develop a greater sense of accomplishment and commitment to your health goals.
2. Stay Away From Trans Fats
A large study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who eat the most trans fats are almost four times as likely to have high cholesterol.
Trans fats are bad news. They're created when oils are hydrogenated — which means they're turned into a solid. This makes them easier to spread, which means less fat for your food and more money for the manufacturer.
The problem is that trans fats raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, which increases the risk for heart disease. The good news is that you don't need to avoid all types of trans fats in order to lower your risk of heart disease or stroke — just those made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils like those used in most processed foods.
If you want to reduce your risk of heart disease, reduce or eliminate all sources of trans fat from your diet including:
- Margarine and shortening
- Candy bars
- Packaged snack foods (like chips)
- Frozen desserts and pies
3. Reduce Saturated Fat Intake
Reducing your intake of saturated fat can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other diseases. Saturated fats are found in meat, poultry, whole milk, cheese, and some margarine.
You may think that this is just about cutting out certain foods like bacon or cheese, but the truth is that it's more about changing how much-saturated fat you eat daily. You can easily reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet by replacing it with unsaturated fats.
For example, instead of eating 5 ounces of whole milk each day (which provides 9 grams or 2% of your recommended daily intake), try drinking skim milk (1/2 cup) instead — which contains only 1 gram or 0.5% of saturated fat per serving.
The best way to reduce cholesterol naturally is to limit saturated fat intake. This is because it increases the amount of LDL (bad) cholesterol in the body, which can lead to heart disease and other problems. To keep your blood cholesterol low, cut back on fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and foods with a high saturated fat content like coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. Avoid trans fats as well, which are found in margarine and baked goods like cookies and cakes.
The American Heart Association recommends that less than 10 percent of daily calories come from saturated fats, and people should consume no more than 7 grams of saturated fat per day. However, some foods are high in saturated fat even though they do not contain much of it—like beef liver or cheese.
Saturated fats are found in these kinds of products such as meat, and dairy poultry products. People who eat more than 7 grams of saturated fat per day have a higher risk for heart disease.
Saturated fat can be found in:
- Meat and poultry (including fatty cuts of beef and lamb)
- Eggs and egg yolks
- Butter and margarine
- Ghee (clarified butter)
4. Eat More Fiber-Rich Foods
Fiber-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are great for your health and help lower cholesterol.
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate found in plant foods that help cleanse the body. A high-fiber diet can help to lower cholesterol levels and it helps to keep the digestive system regular, which can also help prevent heart disease. Fiber also helps to slow down the absorption of cholesterol into blood cells, helping to keep it from being deposited in arteries.
5. Stop Smoking
Smoking is bad for your health in many ways, but it's especially harmful to your cholesterol levels. Smoking raises your blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. It also contributes to the build-up of plaque in your arteries and may damage blood vessels in the brain, causing a stroke.
Smoking also makes you more likely to have a heart attack or stroke by raising your blood pressure and placing strain on your heart.
If you smoke, stop immediately. Even if you only smoke one cigarette a day, it adds up over time and can be damaging to your health.
If you're trying to quit smoking then you can talk with your doctor about medications that could help ease while you're quitting.
6. Drink Green Tea
Green tea is a great way to reduce cholesterol naturally. It's been shown to lower LDL cholesterol by as much as 30%. Green tea has also been shown to reduce triglycerides, which can help lower blood pressure.
Green tea has a lot of antioxidants, which means it helps fight free radicals that cause damage to your body. These free radicals are what lead to a lot of health problems, including heart disease and cancer.
Green tea has been shown to lower the number of bad cholesterols in your blood by up to 3% after one year. This translates into about 20% less risk for developing heart disease and about 10% less risk for developing cancer within 10 years!
7. Eat Foods Full of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish and flaxseeds and they can also be found in walnuts, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. In addition to being good for your heart, they also help lower your cholesterol levels.
There are 3 types of omega-3 fatty acids:
- alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
- eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
- and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
ALA is the most abundant type of omega-3 fat in our diets.
The best way to get enough omega-3 is through foods rich in ALA like flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and canola oil. These are all easy to incorporate into your diet without adding too much fat or calories.
Another way to get more of these healthy fats into your diet is by eating fish once a week or so! Fish contain EPA and DHA which help maintain healthy cholesterol levels in our bodies by reducing the amount of bad cholesterol we produce.
Omega-3s are found in many foods, but these five are especially high in it:
- Salmon, sardines, and other oily fish
- Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil
- Walnuts and almonds
- Green leafy vegetables
- Chia seeds
Conclusion
In most cases, you can use essential oils and adopt a good diet to reduce your cholesterol. If you don't feel like experimenting, then you can go for medication that temporarily reduces your cholesterol. Besides, the underlying cause of high cholesterol should be fixed first. This is not a problem you can take lightly. You can reduce your cholesterol naturally but it is only suitable for mild cases. If all the natural remedies are not working, then you should see a doctor who will prescribe some strong medications.
You can also read: 7 Ways to Overcome Depression Without Medication
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