Do you find yourself being told by your doctor that your cholesterol level is high? and your doctor told you that you need to reduce it? Otherwise you face high risk of heart disease? If yes, continue recalling. What did your doctor suggest to you? If I’m not wrong, its’ to take some prescription right? In other words, medication. I’m not against medication but I’m sure you are probably thinking if there is anything else that you can take other than just relying on medication. You are not alone in thinking this way because medication are not only costly but causes side effect to your body as well. The good news is there are plenty of common foods that can help you reduce your cholesterol and today I’m going to share 3 of them with you.
Before I share with you the 3 type of ‘foods’, allow me to just state here that not all cholesterol are bad. Cholesterol as a whole consists mainly of 3 types. The first is Low Density Lipoproteins(LDL) which is essentially the bad cholesterol that people normally talks about. Think the ‘L’ of LDL as ‘loser’ as the more they are in your body the higher your risk of heart disease is.
The second type is High Density Lipoprotein(HDL) which is the good cholesterol. Think the ’H’ of HDL as ‘happy’ as they help to remove fat deposits from inside your arteries (blood vessel). As opposed to LDL, you obviously want more HDL in your body. And the third type is called Triglycerides(TG) which is very much related to LDL. Its not a good cholesterol either so you won’t want too much of TG in your body. So now you know which are the bad cholesterol lets’ get to the 3 types of food you can easily take to reduce your cholesterol.
The first is Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Not only will Omega 3 Fatty Acids work to lower your LDL, but they will also raise your HDL. Its’ a very powerful nutrient that unfortunately could not be produced by your body. However there are many foods that that provide rich source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids. They include salmon, walnuts, flax seed, cauliflower and cabbage to name a few.
Second type of ‘food’ that you can take to reduce your cholesterol is soluble fiber. Do take note its’ different from insoluble fiber which don’t do anything beneficial in this context. Soluble fiber basically sticks to the bad cholesterol and carries it out of the blood. Adding soluble fiber to your diet can be as easy as changing your bread(from white to whole grain) and can also be found in many every day foods. Examples of foods high in soluble fiber are grains(such as whole grain breads), oatmeal, fruits(such as oranges and apples) and flax seed(which also happens to be high in Omega 3).
And the third type of ‘cholesterol buster’ is Antioxidants. Antioxidants help to lower blood pressure and thin the blood so cholesterol doesn’t stick to the arteries. Equally important antioxidants are your friend who fights cancer. To get more antioxidants, you can take berries(such as cranberries and blueberries), red Wine(no more than a glass a day), dark Chocolate(the darker the better), dried beans red beans are the best).
The list of food sources here are all tasty and easily obtainable, which you definitely should tap into in your efforts to lower your cholesterol. Many of them are things that most people wouldn’t think of as cholesterol fighting foods. But, adding these everyday foods to your diet could make a big difference in your fight against high cholesterol level. Now that you know what to eat, there is really no reason to let high cholesterol levels ruin you and your life later down the road. So start eating today and get healthy!
Author Resource:
Alex Marco is the publisher of Wellness Diary™, a free weekly newsletter full of useful tips and practical advice to help improve your health, including reducing your cholesterol level. Grab a free copy of your newsletter at http://www.HealthEqualsMoney.com today.