Tag: Cholesterol

Eating Right to Lower Your Cholesterol

We are raising an obese society. With big-sizing everything that we eat especially in fast food chains, we are slowly clogging our arteries with unnecessary fats and cholesterol that our bodies do not actually need and cannot use.

The result is of course a society that is pestered with different kinds of cholesterol complications such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and overweight problems. In fact, one of the problems that the country is facing is the rising prevalence of people with hypertension, which can lead to a possible heart attack when not taken cared of.

So what can you do lower your cholesterol levels? The first line, perhaps the only one that is truly effective is a combination of regular exercise and proper diet. These two activities go hand in hand. Without one factor, you cannot succeed. Dieting without exercising the body will only lead to weak muscles, which will eventually weaken the bodys resistance.

It may also lead to fatigue and sore muscles because there is not enough nutrients in the body. Exercising, on the other hand, without the proper diet is useless because you will only be maintaining your usual weight.You will not be gaining of course, because you are burning whatever you need; but you will not be losing any pound either.

Besides, exercising too much will strain the muscles and might even lead to a possible heart attack because of too much strain to the heart.

So what do you have to eat in order to lower those cholesterol levels in the body and ultimately prevent the occurrence of hypertension?

Eat less oil

One of the first things that a person dieting should avoid is to eat foods that are deep-fried or those that are cooked using oil. These include potato chips, fries, fried meat, fried seafood, fried veggies and a whole lot more.

Oil, when taken into the body translates to cholesterol. What you should be eating are foods that are boiled, steamed, baked and braised. Grilled foods may also be eaten but not so much.

Eat less meat

The fats from meat contain a lot of cholesterol. If you can avoid eating meat all the frequently, better; but if you cant stop munching those meat, just remove the fats that hang on the side. Chicken and Turkey meat is a lot healthier so if you can have a choice, opt for these kinds of meat products. Dont forget to remove the skin though as cholesterol concentrate in white meats can be found on the skin.

Eat vegetables

Vegetables do not only contain zero cholesterol, it is also a great source of fibers that help the body in digesting the food that we take in.

As much as possible, steam the vegetables that you eat to maintain the nutrients in it and of course avoid fatty and cholesterol additives like oils.

Eat less period

Try to curb that appetite slowly by taking in less food that you normally take in. If you can lessen the number of times that you eat or of you do want snacks, eat healthy snacks like fruits.

Try to also lessen the carbohydrates that you take in, which can be found in rice, cereals and bread. If you must eat these staple opt for the healthier kind like brown rice and wheat bread.

Triglycerides-Fat In The Human Body

Triglycerides are one of the types of fat that are naturally occurring in the human body. While you do need some, the problem comes when your levels get out of balance and you have a higher level than you should.

Your doctor can easily let you know whether or not your triglycerides are where they should be. If they are too high, she can also provide you with some resources for getting them back to more normal levels.

Having high levels can lead to many serious health issues like heart disease and diabetes. There may be things you can do, other than take prescription medication and have to deal with all the side effects, to lower your levels.

You can keep your cholesterol as well as triglycerides at the proper balance as well as just keep your body weight where it needs to be.

Bottom line: these tips will help you look better, feel better and get more healthy:

1. Watch how much you eat. We tend to eat portions that are too big. One of the simplest (in terms of both implementation and actually being able to stick with it) things you can do is cut back on your portion sizes.

A good rule of thumb is to keep all your portion sizes about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand. This makes keeping track of the proper portions easier than having to pull out a scale all the time.

This is a good trick to keep in mind when you are eating out too. Most restaurant meals are the portion of 2 to 3 meals. Take home the extra so you can enjoy it another day.

Also, eat throughout the day, but make each meal you eat smaller and more nutritious. Don’t eat a bunch of huge, high fat meals. Instead eat about 6 times a day and keep each meal the proper portion size and keep them loaded with fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.

A low fat diet is a very effective way to ensure that all systems are working the way they were made to work.

2. Get moving. Again, exercise is just one of those things that can help you control the fat levels in your body as well as around your middle. It just provides so many benefits.

If you are new to exercising you want to talk to your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough. And once you get the ok start small.

It will take time for these tips to start showing up in your blood tests or on the scale. You must view it as a process and not some sort of quick fix.

Be willing to start small, say take a walk everyday, then ramp things up as you get stronger.

3. Moderation in the amount of things like sugar and alcohol in your diet is another way to keep your blood levels where they should be.

No one says you can never drink or never eat a candy bar again, it’s just that you need to make sure you do keep the intake of these things to a minimum.

So, if your doctor tells you that you have high triglycerides, don’t panic. There are many ways you can get these levels back into the normal range. Just work with your doctor and follow these tips.

Medication For Cholesterol-When Diet Change And Exercise Dont Help

In some cases diet and exercise just aren’t doing enough to get your cholesterol levels down to a safe point. When that is the case, you can ask your doctor for a medication for cholesterol.

If you need to get a medication for cholesterol there are some important facts you must know. For one thing, you may need more than one.

Many medications can also have some potentially serious side effects so it is very important you keep in contact with your doctor and follow all dosing instructions very carefully.

One of the most common type of drugs for controlling cholesterol are statins. These medications decrease the bad cholesterol, LDL, levels in the bloodstream.

The problem is that these drugs can have some serious side effects. You need to make sure you talk with your doctor about all these possible side effects.

You must fully understand all the side effects and what you need to keep track of.

One of the most common side effects is numbness in the hands and feet. This numbness can come and go but it can make many day to day activities very difficult.

Other common side effects associated with statins are dizziness and weakness. This is caused due to the lower blood pressure as a result of taking the medication.

Another possible side effect is heart trouble. Since statins can cause problems with muscles it stands to reason that that would include the heart since the heart is a muscle.

Statins can actually work to decrease the amount of Coenzyme Q 10 in the heart thus making it more vulnerable.

Sometimes memory loss is reported as a side effect of taking these cholesterol drugs.

And last, but not least, depression. Taking these drugs can sometimes cause individuals to suffer from depression.

I’m not a doctor and ultimately only you and your doctor can decide whether or not the possible dangers associated with taking these medications is worth it based on the possible improvement of your cholesterol levels.

In some cases, if your cholesterol levels are dangerously high, the benefits of getting a more healthy cholesterol level may far outweigh any possible side effects.

It is important that you are an active participant in your care and that you discuss the risks and possible rewards with your doctor prior to starting any type of medication.

Also, don’t be shy about asking your doctor what other things you can do to try and get your cholesterol under control naturally.

There are herbal remedies that may be able to help you control your cholesterol without all the dangerous side effects.

Some doctors aren’t familiar with these so you may need to find another type of doctor who can help you out.

Ideally, you have, or find, a doctor who is on board with you in terms of trying to use natural methods as much as possible for dealing with all your health issues.

You really don’t want to have to constantly “fight” with your doctor but many of the medications today can cause a lot of unpleasant and possibly dangerous side effects so it only makes sense to keep your consumption of these things to a minimum.

Work with your doctor to find out which medication for cholesterol is best for you.

Inherit Bad Cholesterol-Dont Always Blame Your Parents

While it is possible to inherit bad cholesterol, a condition that is called familial hypercholesterolemia, it can also be caused by many lifestyle factors which you have more control over.

So, whether you inherit bad cholesterol or you have it from certain lifestyle choices you’ve made… or both, you have several options open to you to get your cholesterol levels back down to safer levels.

Your first stop needs to be your doctors office. Your doctor can not only do a blood test to let you know if your cholesterol levels are where they should be, he can also help guide you through the choices of treatment options if your levels aren’t where they should be.

Cholesterol can be both “good” and “bad”. Ideally, you want normal levels of both but many people have too little of the good (HDL) and too much of the bad (LDL).

If you are worried about taking too many medications you don’t need to, you may have other options when it comes to lowering your bad and raising your good cholesterol.

Here are the things you need to keep an eye on:

1. Eat better. Don’t eat a lot of foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol. Instead, start eating more foods that are low in fat and high in fiber like fruits and vegetables.

2. Get more exercise. It’s as simple going for a walk everyday. Eventually, as you get stronger and in better shape, you can add other forms of exercise to your routine.

You don’t ever have to start training for marathons, and you may even start to find that you actually like to workout. It may sound crazy now, but it is true.

Once you start seeing the results and start getting stronger you may find that you like it and can’t wait to workout.

3. Combine these things and you can accomplish another thing that can help you keep your cholesterol levels in check: get to the proper weight.

It’s no big secret that eating better and getting more exercise can really help you shed the pounds.

And, when you are at the proper weight, continuing with these good habits will help you maintain that healthy weight.

You do have other options than just taking medication to control your cholesterol. If, after talking to your doctor, you both decide that medication is your best course of action than that is what you must do.

But, if you can, you may want to try one or more of these other options to get and keep your cholesterol at the proper level.

You can use these things on their own or combine them with a medication. Since many medicines can have some possibly serious side effects, you may want to try to get the results you want without having to rely on prescription medications.

Even if you inherit bad cholesterol you can still live a healthy life and get and keep your cholesterol under control. Just be willing to talk to your doctor and work with him to get the best combination of medications and diet and exercise to get your ideal cholesterol level.