We are often inundated with certain questions like how to reduce cholesterol or, more specifically, how to reduce cholesterol naturally. Cholesterol is an important substance in our body and plays various essential functions. Cholesterol is thus not inherently bad, but excess cholesterol is associated with several health disease risks. It is hence important to understand the types of cholesterol and reduce it accordingly. LDL Cholesterol can be linked with heart health risks and methods to reduce it should be applied in daily life.
Therefore, the question actually becomes how to reduce bad cholesterol. Various cholesterol-lowering foods can help you reduce bad cholesterol, and certain habits can do so as well, so let’s find the answer to lowering bad cholesterol:
- Unsaturated fatty acids are healthier: Unsaturated fatty acids consist of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Studies have shown that these fatty acids are beneficial for health by reducing total and LDL cholesterol by improving their clearance in the blood. MUFAs and PUFAs can be obtained in the diet through vegetable oils, nuts, avocados and fatty fish. One can take a look into a Mediterranean diet as well.
- Omega-3 fatty acids are heart-healthy foods: Polyunsaturated fatty acids are further also divided into omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that are not synthesized in the body and need to be provided through food. Omega 3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is obtained from vegetable oils, fatty fish like salmon and tuna, nuts like walnuts, soyabeans. These help in reducing cholesterol, and blood pressure lowering your overall risk of heart diseases.
- Fibre can help reduce cholesterol: Fibre is yet another component that helps in decreasing cholesterol in the body. It does so by reducing the absorption of cholesterol in the bloodstream by binding with it. Fibre-rich foods include oats, beans and lentils, flaxseeds, vegetables and fruits. These should be included in our daily diet to better our overall health especially heart health.
- Exercise regularly for a better heart: Exercising is one of the simplest and cheapest ways of maintaining normal cholesterol levels in our bodies. It is important to exercise 3-4 times a week. One must combine cardio, strength training and stretching to create a healthy workout. The American Heart Association advises 150-300 minutes of aerobic exercise every week. Following the guideline helps in achieving benefits like lowering risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and maintaining weight. It also improves HDL levels that helps maintain normal cholesterol levels in the body.. This is genuinely the simplest answer to the question ‘how to reduce cholesterol?”
- Maintain a healthy weight for normal cholesterol levels: Maintaining a healthy weight through a heart-healthy diet plan is essential for maintaining normal cholesterol levels. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), high cholesterol can affect people of any weight. However, being overweight may raise the risk of high cholesterol by causing LDL cholesterol levels to increase and HDL levels to decrease. Therefore, you must have a diet that is balanced and has the recommended amount of fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fatty fish, nuts, whole wheat and rice. This heart healthy diet plan will benefit you in the long run and result in a balanced weight. However, in order to lose weight, a heart healthy diet plan should go side by side with exercising.
- Choosing a healthy cooking oil: Cooking oils are an important part of our pantries and one must use an oil that is good for our hearts and reduces the bad cholesterol. Saffola Total is an exceptional blended oil that can be used on a daily basis. It is a heart-healthy oil that works to regulate the 8 key indicators of heart health and provides Total well-being through the addition of antioxidants in oil for better immunity, oryzanol to lower cholesterol and a good blend of MUFAs and PUFAs for enhanced nutrition.