by dualFIT
One of the first cholesterol warning signs you’ve probably heard was from Cheerios.
Cheerios has been advertising
their cholesterol lowering abilities for ages! So what is cholesterol?
Why do you need to lower it? Are cheerios the only food out there that
can lower your cholesterol? Read on to find out all about fats and cholesterol and some cool, natural ways to lower it!
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is made in our bodies by the liver. It is also found in certain foods.
Some of our favorite foods like cheeseburgers, bacon, and whole milk
are all very high in this waxy substance. You are definitely familiar
with these fatty foods. Another name for fat is lipids and cholesterol
is a certain type of lipid. Consuming too much of these fats can cause
some serious health problems. Most of these high cholesterol containing
foods come from animal products such as eggs, meat, cheese, and milk.
You always hear about cholesterol being a bad thing, and while it
isn’t the best, our bodies DO need it for certain life processes.
Cholesterol is used in the process of making vitamin D,
creates cell walls, and helps to create bile salts which are necessary
for the digestion of fat. However, a person would be just fine not
consuming a milligram of cholesterol from food for the rest of their
lives because their liver produces about 1,000 milligrams of cholesterol
a day. That is enough to do all the good stuff it needs to do.
Why is high cholesterol bad?
Now that you know what cholesterol is, how come people are always
looking for ways to lower cholesterol? If a person has too much
cholesterol, it can be extremely dangerous to their health. There are
two types of cholesterol: LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. LDL
cholesterol is the bad type while HDL is the good type. If your LDL levels are high, this waxy fat gets deposited into the walls of your arteries.
Overtime, it begins to harden and forms a hard substance called
plaque. This plaque begins to build up and your arteries start to become
narrower, which will limit blood flow. This whole process turns into a
condition called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis
eventually turns into coronary artery disease which puts a persons risk
of having a heart attack very high. With that being sad, this is why
high levels of cholesterol are bad.
Natural Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol
If a person has high cholesterol, their doctor will most likely
immediately write a prescription for cholesterol lowering medication.
While this may help, it doesn’t really solve the problem. Instead of
turning to medication to lower cholesterol, try these natural ways
first!
- First and foremost, drop your weight. If you weigh more than you should, even by a few pounds, drop it. Having excess body fat is bad for a lot of health reasons but especially your cholesterol levels. When you have an excess amount of body fat, your body cannot digest fats regularly. Since cholesterol is fat, you won’t be able to digest that cholesterol properly so it will find its way into your arteries overtime. Keep yourself at a healthy weight so that you are able to digest fats and cholesterol properly.
- Eat more fiber. If you are going to try to lose weight, following a diet high in fiber will kill two birds with one stone: drop your weight and lower your cholesterol. A fiber rich diet has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. Skip those fancy fiber products and just reach for fresh, natural foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Great sources of fiber to lower cholesterol include sweet potatoes, asparagus, strawberries, and oatmeal.
- MOVE! Not even necessarily “exercise” but just get moving. Any type of movement on a daily basis has been shown to lower cholesterol levels like crazy. Don’t even join a gym or buy fancy new gym clothes. Just take the dog for a walk, go for a bike ride with your spouse, or dance around in your kitchen for a few minutes a day. That’s all it takes to get things moving.
- Eat fat. Sounds sketchy, right? Well actually, eating HEALTHY fats can help with your cholesterol levels. Sources of healthy fats include nuts, olive oil, fish, and avocados. These foods will not increase your cholesterol levels and in fact, when eaten in moderation, can actually help lower cholesterol. Replace your saturated fats like meats, cheese, and butter, which these sources of healthy fats.
- Enjoy a glass of red wine. Red wine being good for your heart goes way back! Studies have been done to confirm that enjoying a glass of red wine (only one!) can help raise your HDL, good, cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol gets a bad rep by fitness professionals, dietitians, and
doctors all around the world. This waxy, fat substance can cause some
serious health problems which can lead to a heart attack or a stroke.
Knowing your cholesterol levels and having an understanding about how to
lower cholesterol can keep you happy and healthy.
Following a few of our natural ways to lower cholesterol such as
moving around on a daily basis, consuming healthy fats, dropping a few
pounds, consuming more fiber, and enjoying some red wine on occasion
will all help!
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