Natural Cholesterol Treatment
Natural Cholesterol Treatment
There are some numbers you need to know for natural cholesterol treatment and remember like your own phone number.
Total cholesterol is a number that tells us how much cholesterol is in your blood. If this is high (a certain
amount is necessary), we know that that the excess lines your blood vessels and can lead to a variety of problems including heart attack and stroke.
There are good (HDL) and bad (LDL) types of cholesterol. HDLs actually help protect your heart and vessels. The LDLs or bad kind do damage. Building your good cholesterol (HDLs) and lowering your bad cholesterol (LDL) is a cornerstone of natural cholesterol treatment.
Triglycerides are another form of fat in the blood. Triglycerides come from the fats we eat in foods. If we
eat more calories than our body needs, they are converted to triglycerides and immediately sent special delivery to
fat cells to be stored. You know what those storage areas look like! These triglycerides are then released as needed by the body for energy.
High cholesterol, high bad cholesterol and high triglycerides are all associated with increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Normal levels of these fats in the blood are the goals of natural cholesterol treatment. If you smoke, are overweight or obese, have high blood pressure, are physically inactive and/or have diabetes, your risks are even higher. It is even more important to know your cholesterol and reduce the risks you can.
Knowing your numbers is important because you may not feel that you even have a problem until it is very difficult to reverse. There aren't any real symptoms to high cholesterol. Natural cholesterol teratment is about being healthy, strong and that means having normal blood levels of lipids!
Natural Cholesterol Treatment: Your first goal is to learn your numbers:
Cholesterol-the good, the bad and the ugly
Your body mass index (BMI)- to see if you are overweight
Your blood sugar to see if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes
Your blood pressure-having high blood pressure is like living in a pressure cooker!
Whether you take medications for high cholesterol or not, you must still do some very important things for yourself.
The recommendations are not just for high cholesterol-they're for a healthy life all around! If you follow these recommendations, you'll not only protect your heart, but you'll protect your whole body!
Natural Cholesterol Treatment: Ways to have a Healthy Cholesterol (Blood Lipids)
1. As already said, find out where you are right now. An important step to natural cholesterol treatment is to know where you are right now especially if you are over 40 years old or have a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease.
2. Exercise-there are many benefits to exercise and it doesn't have to be a dirty word. It can and should be fun! If you are 35 or older and are inactive and at high risk for heart disease, or if you already have a medical condition, be sure and see your health care provider before increasing your activity. Do so promptly, though. No fair using an excuse!
3. The American Heart Association has some recommendations for your typical diet.
What are the Top 10 Most Healing Foods?
4. Lose excess weight.
My #1 Weight Loss Secret
Are there Natural Weight Loss Treatments?
5. Choose fats wisely (olive and canola)
6. Limit your salt intake-a few simple techniques are to choose fresh food over processed foods and remove the salt shaker from the table. What is a processed food? If it doesn't go bad easily, it is not fresh and is probably processed. It is more complicated than this, of course, but this is just one simple rule of thumb. Broccoli will go bad, but a Twinkie can last a long time.
7. Be sure and stay well hydrated-drink enough liquids. Aim for about 8 glasses a day.
8. Make sure you have a breakfast has enough fiber and calcium, fresh fruit, nonfat milk or yogurt.
9. Cut back on sugar. The sugars in processed foods (glucose or glucose syrup, for instance) have little nutritional
value for you. They're loaded with calories. If it says fat free, that is great, but be sure and see how many total
calories are in it. Some are packed and that's what they'll do to you-pack the extra weight to your belly, hips and thighs.
10. If you have a low 'good' cholesterol and want to increase it, reduce your carbohydrates (carbs) to less than 60% of all your calories. Be sure to include natural Omega 3 Fatty Acidsto your diet.
11. If you still have high cholesterol values, your health care provider might recommend medications. For most people, the risks associated with them are far less than the benefits. Discuss your own particular risks and benefits with your health care provider. We're all unique afterall!
12. Garlic and Artichoke extract are taken by some people for cholesterol. However, not a lot is known about how effective they are. Stick to eating a healthy diet-low 'bad' fats, high Omega-3 fatty acids, high fiber, low sugar and lots of variety with fruits and vegetables (good carbs!).
13. If your triglycerides are high, fish oil may be a supplement for you to try. It has been shown to reduce triglycerides by 20-50%. This is especially true if you
don't eat enough fish. About 20ml of cod liver oil a day has been shown to be helpful. Be sure your health care provider knows you take this. It may cause reactions with blood thinning and high blood pressure medication.
14. Some people take Red Yeast Rice supplement. There are some safety and consistantly issues with this supplement, so I would stay clear of it for now.
15. If you smoke, stop as soon as you can.
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Natural Cholesterol Treatment is just the beginning! Food can be your medicine! YUM!
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Disclaimer: Material provided on Naturally-Holistic.net website is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease. Always take the advice of your health care provider before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program. We will not be liable for any complications, or other medical accidents arising from the use of any information on this web site.
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