A Normal Cholesterol Level is Critical to Health – 5 Ways to Reduce Cholesterol Levels Quickly

Cholesterol is a problem because of our diets. We eat way too much red meat and saturated fats and not nearly enough fish or fruit and vegetables. High cholesterol, which once was seen to be a middle age threat, is now affecting people as young as teenagers.

Not having control over your diet and cholesterol is a problem at any age level. If steps are not taken to lower cholesterol levels you put yourself at greatly increased risk for heart disease which is about as serious as it gets. If you suspect your cholesterol levels are too high, by all means have a blood test and get it checked!

How often it should be checked depends on your age and your history. If you are over 20, you should have a blood cholesterol test every five years. If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol and are controlling it with diet you need to be tested every twelve months. As bad a problem as cholesterol is, the good news is that you can significantly reduce your risk with a few lifestyle changes. Here are the top 5 things you can do to reduce your cholesterol levels almost immediately:

1. STOP SMOKING If you smoke, stop immediately! Smoking reduces the HDL (good) cholesterol levels and is a major cause of cancer. There is nothing “cool” about smoking. Avoid it all costs.

2. ELIMINATE SATURATED FATS Look for canola or Light Virgin Olive Oil (LVO) instead of vegetable oils and butter

3. CUT WAY BACK ON RED MEAT Stop the drive through burger habit and eat fish or baked (not fried) chicken instead. The hamburger chains are masters of the quick taste good meal but the red meat and salt are not good!

4. GET MORE EXERCISE You don’t have to join a gym (although that is a good thing) to get exercise. Something as simple as walking 30-60 minutes a day will have benefits. Try parking at the end of the lots instead of fighting for the closest open space. Not only will you get more exercise, you will probably be less stressed too.

5. EAT MORE WHOLE GRAINS, FRUITS AND VEGETABLES All of these are very high in dietary fiber which is important to lower cholesterol as well as other very good vitamins and minerals.

There is another step you can take to enhance all of these above steps to make them even more effective and that is to supplement your diet with substances that offer even more dietary benefits. Historically two of the most popular supplements have been fish oil and flax (both seed and oil). Both are have high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids which are essential to lowering cholesterol.

A Normal Cholesterol Level is Critical to Health – 5 Ways to Reduce Cholesterol Levels Quickly by Jesse L Moore