10 Tips to Reduce Your Cholesterol
by: Kristi Patrice Carter
Reducing your cholesterol level can greatly increase your health. High cholesterol can put you at risk for a variety of diseases and conditions. By lowering your cholesterol level you can reduce your risks and enjoy increased health. These ten tips will help you get there.
1. Know your target cholesterol levels. It is important to know your target cholesterol levels so that you can know where you stand. It can give you a guideline to follow to know how far you need to go and what you need to do to get there.
2. Choose the "good fats." Polyunsaturated fats, which include corn, cottonseed, safflower, sesame, soybean and sunflower oils are the "good fats" that you should include in your diet. Stay from highly saturated fats which are found in beef fat, butter, cream and lard as well as a variety of other foods. Do your homework and learn which foods offer good fats and which ones are nothing but trouble.
3. Change your cooking habits. Pack away your deep fryer. Better yet, give it away. Stick to baking, broiling and boiling foods which is way healthier.
4. Trim the fat. Trim any exterior fat from meat or pork and remove the skin from chicken and turkey before you cook.
5. Go for the omega 3 fatty acids. You can find the omega 3 fatty acids in seafood such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. Try to eat at least two servings a week to get your weekly dose and steer away from the supplements. The jury is still out on the benefits from the fish oil supplements and in high doses they may cause harm.
6. Make some substitutions and alterations. Choose low fat or skim milk over whole milk, select low fat yogurt or cottage cheese instead of mayonnaise and sour cream in your recipes and toss out your high fat condiments with lemon juice and vinegar. Limit your egg consumption to four or less a week. When you cook with eggs, only use every other egg yolk and replace the discarded egg yolk with an egg white.
7. Use medication to reduce your cholesterol. There are medications that can reduce your cholesterol. Your doctor can help you find one that is right for you. However, medication is not a get out of jail free card. You still need to mind your diet and health practices.
8. Increase your HDL cholesterol. Follow some healthy practices, such as diet and exercise. If you smoke - stop. If you are overweight, lose weight. Also, add fiber to your diet. All of these things will increase your HDL cholesterol, your "good" cholesterol.
9. Try some natural treatments. There are some vitamins and herbs that are believed to reduce your LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. A few of these natural treatments include B vitamins, carnitine, chromium, garlic, grape seed extract, pantothine, royal jelly and soy. You should check with your doctor before taking any of these.
10. Exercise can make a difference. Exercise can help reduce your cholesterol in a variety of ways. It can help naturally reduce your LDL cholesterol, help you lose weight and help your organs function more efficiently, all of which are extremely beneficial to your health.
from:http://www.miniecards.com/health_tips/reduceyourcholesterol.html
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