Ways To Have A Healthy Cholesterol Level

Adrian Fletcher

A healthy cholesterol level is important as it is known that high cholesterol levels will lead to thickening of the artery walls. This in turn can lead to high blood pressure and various other conditions that can affect the heart. Indeed, a large build up of plaque on the inner walls of the arteries is liable to cause strokes as plaque breaks off and causes clots and blockages in the bloodstream. A healthy cholesterol level is said to be anything below 200 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood. Of course you can\'t find this out by having a proper blood test but once you know that this figure is higher than 200 then it is time to start doing something about it. This article will give you some ideas on ways to have a healthy cholesterol level.

It is easy to get a healthy cholesterol level. Probably the most important thing you will need to be successful is a strong desire to change and the strength of character to stay on the right track without resorting to old habits.

First of all, you need to modify your eating habits. This is probably the main reason why you have a high cholesterol reading to begin with. Look to downsize the amount of fat that you eat. Supersize the fresh fruit and vegetables. Even the fast food outlets are promoting fresher food now so that says something. But more than just going fresh also look at how you cook your food. Use unsaturated oils like olive and canola rather than saturated varieties. Try using different cooking methods to frying or deep frying food. Try grilling meat or fish. Try boiling or baking other foods stuffs. Avoid processed foods as much as possible, especially those that use trans fats as preservatives. Eat more soluble fiber and foods with plant sterols in them. Reduce your intake of full fat dairy products. If you are fond of dairy goods then go to the low fat alternatives.

Increase the amount of exercise you get on a regular basis. check with your health care provider before starting something like this and ask what kind of exercise they may advise. If exercise is a chore then do active things that are necessary rather than pushing dumb machines at a sweaty gym. Walk or ride a bike to work. Take the stairs rather than the elevator. go for a walk after lunch rather than sitting at your desk. Do anything that will increase you level of activity, especially if you spend a lot of time sitting down during your job.

Forget about smoking or give up if you currently smoke. If the high cost of smoking and the horrible pictures on the boxes don\'t put you off then you should know that it also increases cholesterol. It reduces the amount of HDL cholesterol in the body. HDL cholesterol is used to transport cholesterol to the liver where it is removed from the body. Thus by stopping smoking you will increase the amount of HDL cholesterol and reduce total cholesterol as a whole.

Don\'t get stressed out to much. Stress is thought to increase the levels of cholesterol in the body. chronic stress is the worst as it is long term stress that has no resolution. If you can\'t avoid stress at work or in other areas of your life then find a way to relieve the stress with relaxation techniques, hobbies or even exercise.

Following all or some of these steps will have a positive affect on reducing cholesterol and giving you a healthy cholesterol level provided you stick at it. They are not a once off fix but a lifestyle change. Once you start seeing them in this context then your task to reduce cholesterol will become easier.