Decreasing Your Cholesterol and Triglycerides
16th February, 2009Eating healthy is all about taking in the right combination of fat, calories, protein, vitamins and other materials that keep your machinery functioning at full performance. By contrast, metabolic syndrome, or a breakdown of this system, occurs when you are ingesting low HDL (good cholesterol), high LDL (bad cholesterol), and you have high blood sugar, waist fat, high triglycerides and high blood pressure. Many people with high cholesterol and triglycerides live for a long time, completely unaware of their body’s malfunction. They may be overweight, feel sluggish or suffer occasional stomach pains, but chances are the symptoms won’t appear until it’s too late or unless a routine check up reveals high blood pressure.
To get your triglycerides and cholesterol back down to a normal level, you will have to make some dietary changes. For people who have high cholesterol levels from eating too many fattening foods, cholesterol lowering can be accomplished by as much as 10-20% from dieting alone. Reducing calories to 1,200-1,500 for women and 1,500-1,800 for men will help you lose 2 pounds per week. When losing weight, you shouldn’t drink more than one serving of alcohol per day and you should be ingesting eight cups of water daily. Adding just 30 minutes of exercise per day, either all at once or in 3 intervals of 10 minutes, can work wonders for heart health.
Each day you should be ingesting 3-4 low fat dairy servings, like 1% milk or yogurt, 2-4 fruit servings including juice, 3-5 vegetable servings (of ½ cup or more), 6-11 bread servings, which includes pasta and rice and 6-8 fat/oil servings (choosing olive oil, canola oil or peanut oil, low fat salad dressing and miracle whip instead of mayo). Diet experts recommend adding fish oils to your weekly intake, whether it’s a daily fish oil supplement or salmon and tuna several times a week. As a satisfying snack, you can try a handful of nuts, raisins, a cup of tea or hot cocoa and a yogurt smoothie. By following these simple tips, your cholesterol and triglycerides levels should lower in no time at all!
To get tested for cholesterol and triglycerides, you will have to get blood drawn to analyze the level of cholesterol, lipids and triglycerides in your blood. To prepare, do not eat or drink anything other than water for 12 hours prior to your appointment. This is a relatively painless procedure. If you’re doctor-o-phobic, then there are even home cholesterol screening tests available for purchase.
As we become older there are important numbers that begin to weigh heavily upon us. We have to worry about our weight, levels of cholesterol, as well as our blood pressure. Things we may have ignored our entire lives now all of a sudden have great importance. However these are things that should never have been ignored. A lifetime of mistreatment on the body gives only damaging things when left unchecked.
Your cholesterol level is certainly chief if you wish to remain healthy and your body working the right way. High levels can lead to heart attacks as well as stroke, both of these things you do not want to have to deal with. Being mindful in regards to your cholesterol level is not simply for the aging. It is something both young as well as old must be concerned with and be mindful of if they hope to to conduct a healthy lifestyle. In this article we will cover the basics of cholesterol and hopefully you will realize just how crucial a healthy level is to your body and peace of mind.
What is good cholesterol?
Good cholesterol is called HDL which is high-density lipoproteins. Doctor’s believe that the high levels of HDL can actually protect your heart whereas low levels of HDL can increase your risk of heart disease. It is thought that HDL can carry cholesterol away from your arteries and back to the liver where it is passed from the body.
How can you keep from getting high cholesterol?
You can help take steps against having too much LDL cholesterol in your body by exercising, not smoking and eating right. These three things are the primary reasons why people have excessive LDL. Yes, some of your cholesterol levels have to do with family history but doctors have proven time and time again that a diet rich in fish and Omega-3 along with a healthy weight will reduce the overall LDL numbers. The body needs to have plenty of exercise as well.
In what way is the obstruction from the arteries withdrawn?
The initial stage is through medicines but if there is a critical constricting or occlusion in the artery or blood vessel then a somewhat more intrusive procedure is called for. The actual processes might change however one common method is done through the use of a balloon angioplasty. The mechanical device is inserted into the artery and then naviagted to the closure where the build up of plaque has taken place. The balloon is then inflated to clear the passage. Nowadays the routine is minimally invasive and the majority of patients are able to going home that day.
How do I know what my cholesterol is?
Well in order to know what your cholesterol is you should have a blood cholesterol testing performed at least every five years. The most recommended test is a fasting lipoprotein blood profile. This test measures not only your total cholesterol but it also specifies the LDL and the HDL levels. It is a great idea to be knowledgeable about where your numbers are and to ensure that they are in the proper healthy range.
To find out more head on over to Symptoms Of High Cholesterol and more information at Atkins Diet And Cholesterol Levels and at Zocor Cholesterol Medicine