Ways To Reduce Cholesterol Without Drugs

Most people think that cholesterol issues only have an effect on older individuals, but this is not the case. High levels of cholesterol can also be found in the young. In one study, 75 % of those tested had a yellow waxy substance in their blood – LDL cholesterol – it is thought to be a reliable indication of future heart issues. The surprising thing concerning this study was that they were all fit American soldiers with an average age of only 21.

Now we do need some LDL cholesterol because it is used by the body to control some important functions and we definitely need HDL cholesterol because it assists regulate LDL cholesterol. The only issue is the volume of these substances. High levels of LDL have been linked to atherosclerosis, which leads to heart disease.

If you would like to start working on your cholesterol levels in a maintenance type of fashion, you can do so with the aid of exercise and diet. The exercise element does not need to be arduous. Strolling for an hour a day will do the trick if it is in conjunction with healthy dieting.

The diet should include plenty of fibre and roughage because not only will it reduce LDL cholesterol, but it will also help your bowels to work properly which lowers your chance of getting bowel cancer, the incidence of which is rising these days.

Foods that are rich in fibre and roughage are fruit and vegetables, especially greens; beans, pulses and grains, particularly oats as in porridge; nuts and soya. It is fairly simple to increase your consumption of these foods without drastically changing you main diet, although it is wise to substitute skinless chicken and fish for beef and pork.

For example, you could eat porridge for breakfast and add a handful of barley to your soup. You could add a few leaves of lettuce to your sandwich and eat fruit as snacks throughout the day. You could have beans on toast every now and again. Whole grain bread, obviously.

Some foodstuffs have a particularly healthy reputation for lowering cholesterol levels. Avocado is one because it contains a lot of mono-unsaturated fats which increase the level of HDL and HDL counteracts LDL. Raw carrots are another one. Raw carrots contain plenty of pectin, which reduces LDL. Pectin is also there in large quantities in citrus fruits, apples and berries such as strawberries, raspberries and red and black berries.

Then there are other well-known healthy foodstuffs like garlic and shitake mushrooms which are also thought to stave off cancer and boost the immune system as a whole. Ginger is another healthy food that is easily integrated into dishes.

Nuts, especially walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and almonds are high in Omega 3 fatty acids which has a beneficial impact on LDL cholesterol. Sesame seeds contain phytosterols, which also lowers LDL. Other foods containing phytosterols are: celery, lettuce, asparagus, spinach and tomatoes.

You ought to strive to eat mono- and poly-unsaturated fats as they will improve your HDL. You can find these fats in cannola, safflower, soya bean and olive oil. They also contain Omega 3. Other sources of Omega 3 are fish, especially the fatty fish like tuna, salmon and mackerel.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on numerous subjects, but is now concerned with food that lowers cholesterol. If you want to know more, please visit our site at What Foods Lower Cholesterol?