Lowering your cholesterol may seem like a task for the too-hard basket.
While the liver produces cholesterol naturally to support your bodily functions, when you consume too much cholesterol through fatty foods, you can throw these levels out of whack.
First up, what is cholesterol?
There are two types of cholesterol – HDL which is the “good” type and is essential to the function of your hormones, vitamin absorption and and digestion of everything you eat, and LDL which is seen as the “bad” stuff which can cause your arteries to narrow and lead to some pretty nasty heart conditions. While you always have both HDL and LDL in your bod, the trick is to balance the two to work for you.
But before the doc offers you meds to keep you LDL down, give these easy tips a go…
Choose healthy fats.
Healthy fats found in avocado, nuts and salmon help to raise your “good” cholesterol and create a better balance of HDL to keep your heart healthy. They also keep your skin and nails healthy and strong, so incorporate healthy fats into your diet daily. You’ll be glowing in no time!
Sip on tea.
While many teas contain antioxidant goodness, research shows that green tea significantly lowers “bad” cholesterol, while bearing no effect on the good stuff! More reason to get sipping.
Get your garlic on!
Not only is garlic the perfect flavour addition to any meal, but it has been praised as a wonder veg as it can prevent the “bad” cholesterol from sticking to your artery walls, and protect against future heart conditions. Add garlic to your sautéed onions for a flavour boost, or check out this Immune Boosting Garlic Soup to kick your cholesterol to the curb!
Up the exercise.
Just like with your blood pressure, 30 minutes of regular exercise can work wonders for your cholesterol levels. While there isn’t definitive research as to why this happens, the theory is that exercise decreases the size of LDL particle and reduces the absorption rate of LDL into the blood – either way, exercise can help rebalance cholesterol levels and improve your heart health. Just move your body everyday!
Say sayonara to sugar.
While cholesterol is normally linked to the consumption of fats, studies show that people with a high sugar diet, specifically fructose, also had high “bad” cholesterol levels, which in turn increases your risk of heart disease. The best way to say goodbye to sugar and bring down those cholesterol levels is to give up the sweet stuff!
If you want a little taste test of what quitting sugar’s like, check out the 7-Day Reboot for nutrient-dense food, minus the sugar.
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