Adoption of a healthier lifestyle, including aerobatic exercise and a low-fat diet, should reduce high cholesterol, obesity and, ultimately, the risk of coronary heart disease.
Lifestyle changes
Your diet, weight, physical activity and exposure to tobacco smoke all affect your cholesterol level – and these factors may be controlled by:
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- following a heart-healthy diet
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- enjoying regular physical activity
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- avoiding tobacco smoke.
For some people, lifestyle changes alone aren’t enough to reach healthy cholesterol levels. Your doctor may prescribe medication.
Take steps to reduce cholesterol
First, see your doctor
A simple blood test checks for high cholesterol. You may be asked to fast overnight before the test. Knowledge of only your total cholesterol level isn’t enough. A complete lipid profile measures your LDL, total cholesterol, HDL (the good cholesterol) and triglycerides. The guidelines state that healthy adults should have this analysis every five years.
Next, set dietary goals
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- Strive for daily intake of less than 7% of your kilojoules from saturated fat and less than 200 mg of cholesterol from the food you eat.
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- In general, the main sources of saturated fat are from animal products: red meat and whole-milk dairy products, including cheese, sour cream, ice cream and butter. But there are also plant-based sources of saturated fat, principally coconut oil and coconut milk, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter, and palm oil. And while you probably don’t go to the store and buy these—with the exception of coconut milk—these plant-based saturated fats crop up in a number of commercially prepared products. Cocoa butter is in chocolate. Coconut oil and palm oils are in anything from non-dairy whipped toppings and coffee creamers, to cookies and cakes.
Common unsaturated fats are derived from oily fish such as herring, tuna, sardines and salmon; as well as from vegetable oils and nuts. All of these can help to provide certain fatty acids (specifically, omega-3 and omega-6) that the body cannot produce on its own. These acids are thought to reduce risk of heart disease and to enhance memory and other mental functions–hence, the popular perception of fish as “brain food.”
Total fat includes both unsaturated fat and saturated fat. You may eat up to 30% of your kilojoules from total fat but most should be from unsaturated fat, which does not raise cholesterol levels. A nutrition label will tell you how many grams (g) of total fat are in a food. It also tells you how many calories come from fat. Total fat includes both unsaturated fat and saturated fat.
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- Add more soluble fibre (found in cereal grains, beans, peas, and many fruits and vegetables) and foods that contain plant stanols and sterols (included in certain margarines and salad dressings) to boost your LDL-lowering power. The best way to know what’s in the foods you eat is to read the nutrition label.
Lower cholesterol levels start at the grocery store. Read food labels and buy foods low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol.
Regular exercise
The benefit of regular exercise includes:
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- Lowered body fat, which helps you to avoid conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.
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- Improved circulation, resulting in a healthier heart and blood vessels with a more efficient cardiovascular system overall.
An effective, regular exercise routine includes several stretching exercises to start with so that your muscles are warmed up for activity. After stretching, 20 minutes of aerobic activity such as running or walking will burn kilojoules and improve your cardiovascular health. Finally, cool down by performing a few more stretches. Add a few minutes of weight lifting or resistance training to your routine for improved strength and endurance.
Spending half an hour three times a week on exercise is a sure way of improving your health, fitness and well-being
Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EAP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to discuss your cholesterol problems.