How to lower cholesterol? Quick and Healthy Recipes
Changing your habits and eating delicious foods rich in polyunsaturated fats and fiber, along with an occasional routine, is enough to lower your cholesterol and live a longer and happier life. And that’s because there are many cholesterol-lowering foods in the diet of older adults. This is certainly no accident.
Cholesterol is a major substance in our bodies. This substance is present in all of our cells and is necessary for the proper functioning of hormones and the proper absorption of vitamin D. It also helps in the digestive process. However, high cholesterol levels can pose a permanent danger to our heart because it causes blockages in the blood. If this is the case, you must be curious to know how to lower your cholesterol. Why is it important to lower cholesterol so that our heart can move.
Because it is a related substance to vitamin D, which is important for a healthy brain and can suppress cholesterol. And that’s because vitamin D deficiency is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, and normal levels of this vitamin are associated with better cognitive performance.
How Can I Lower My Cholesterol?
Changing your habits, eating delicious foods rich in polyunsaturated fats and fiber, and the occasional ritual are enough to lower your cholesterol and live a longer and happier life. And that’s because many of the foods that lower cholesterol are foods that are part of the diet of older adults. This is certainly no accident.
Replace Saturated Fats With Good Fats
Saturated fats – and also Tran fats – are found in many foods of natural and animal origin. While their industrialized versions tend to be the most harmful, the fact is that excessive intake of saturated fats from meat and dairy products is also bad. It’s best to give up all industrial foods and snacks – pastries, creams, chocolates, candies, sausages – and eat foods rich in polyunsaturated fats, which can help lower cholesterol, among other benefits.
- Salmon and fish
- Walnuts (almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, peanuts)
- Seeds (sunflower seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds)
- Lawyers
- Olive oil
Bonus Hack: Don’t leave the egg behind. It has been proven that eating it daily does not increase bad cholesterol levels, but rather increases good cholesterol. In addition, according to UNU doctors, its yolk contains amino acids and therefore contains the best quality protein.
Eat More Fiber
Fiber helps prevent heart disease, and foods that contain more fiber also help lower cholesterol. An adult should eat an average of 30 grams of fiber per day. But which foods contain fiber?
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains (oats, amaranth)
- Legumes (beans, lentils, and peas)
- Nuts and seeds
- Brown rice
- Spirulina (a superfood with many benefits)
Extra Hack: You can take a teaspoon of ground flaxseed in the morning and sprinkle it on top of fruit or mix it into a smoothie. That way, no matter what happens, you’ve already consumed your daily fiber quota.
You can also make a super drink with 10 superfoods, including spirulina, ginger and moringa, three fiber-rich, heart-healthy ingredients.
Instead of frying and baking in oil, think about using oil first.
- Cooking
- Roasting
- Boiling
- Microwave
- Grilling
Exercise
If you just want to keep your cholesterol levels stable, you don’t need to exercise every day. Just walk for 30 minutes – which will also encourage your creativity – do yoga or ride your bike to work.
However, if you have the time and your cholesterol levels resist falling, you need to do a little more aerobic exercise – enough to raise your heart rate. Two and a half hours of aerobic exercise per week is enough to lower your cholesterol. How about a bike ride to work?
A Relaxing Ritual
Cholesterol levels can increase due to stress because cortisol – the stress hormone – promotes the release of triglycerides and free fatty acids, which can increase bad cholesterol over time.
To avoid this, you can do a little aromatherapy with essential oils – we explain how here – both at the start of your day and before you go to bed. You should also try to stay away from the noise of screens and social networks, you can try a little digital minimalism – and of course, it is important to learn to breathe every day, so it is also advisable to practice a little meditation.
