Having high cholesterol is not healthy for you, since it increases the risk of getting heart disease. This health condition does not always show noticeable symptoms, so you could have it for a while and not even know it. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that contains fat and is inside every cell of your body. In order for your body to function right, you actually need a certain level of it. Cholesterol gets in the artery walls and can build up over time. This "build up" is called plaque and can sit in the artery walls and narrow your arteries. This results in the hardening of them, and if not detected, it can cause you serious health problems. A diagnosis of high cholesterol usually comes from your physician during a checkup.
There are two primary things you can do to alleviate this problem by lowering your cholesterol:
- Lose Weight -
Keep your weight at a healthy level, because when you lose weight, your high cholesterol level will decrease. Make gradual changes such as eating fresh fruit instead of fried snacks. You can also start an exercise program by walking, and making simple adjustments like using the stairs instead of the elevator. It's considered a good idea to exercise at least four to five times a week.
- Eat Well -
Eat foods that don’t have a lot of saturated and/or trans fats and generally stay away from foods that have a lot of cholesterol. Try to consume more foods that you can bake, broil or roast, such as chicken, turkey, fish and other lean meats. For those meats that have skin on them, remove the skin before you eat, since it is nothing more than additional saturated fat that your heart doesn’t need. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and drink skim milk or milk that is 1% milkfat. Eating grains is also good for you, since they can have plenty of fiber and nutrition. Consider cutting back on processed foods which are full of artificial chemicals, lack good nutrition and in general tend to cause your body to convert more of this type of food into fat. Making these changes to your diet will help your high cholesterol level decrease a good amount. If your physician has prescribed medicine for your high cholesterol, make sure that you take it as directed.
So, following these guidelines can help keep your cholesterol level lower and help you to stay healthy in additional ways beyond just lowering cholesterol.