5 ways to manage high cholesterol

Cholesterol gets a bad rep so I hope to clarify a few concerns you may have here and how to reduce it.

What is cholesterol?

 There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Firstly we do need it as cholesterol is needed to maintain cell membranes and help make hormones and vitamins, so it is all about balance. However, high amounts of bad cholesterol can increase the risk of fatty plaque development, which can give blood clots and lead to a heart attack or stroke. Good cholesterol works in the body to reduce the excess cholesterol.

Ways to manage cholesterol

1. Lifestyle is important to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve cholesterol. Lifestyle recommendations would be to limit alcohol intake, quit smoking and have a healthy diet. If you want an example of a nutritious week then download my free meal plan here. Start with one of these first and break it down t small 1% shifts you can each day then build the habit up.
2. Saturated fat reduction is also beneficial. Try reducing cheese and focus on good fats in nuts, seeds and oily fish
3. Don’t worry about the eggs evidence suggests that it doesn’t increase the risk of cholesterol. In fact eggs seem to have more impact on the good cholesterol, regular consumption seems to improve good cholesterol. However the effects on bad and good cholesterol could also be impacted by the general change in diet rather than the consumption of eggs alone.

4. If lifestyle can't be altered then starting medication can be offered instead which would reduce the bad cholesterol within the body. However these have side-effects.5. Exercise! Find what works for you and pair exercise with something that releases the happy hormone if you are struggling. Eg watch Netflix whilst on the treadmill or work out to the music channel or with a friend. You could also try just putting on exercise clothes each day chances are you will do a bit of exercise if you are already in the gear.High cholesterol is a risk for heart disease. In one day, 460 people will die from cardiovascular disease and there are 7.4 million people living with it. Ways to reduce cardiovascular disease is by reducing blood pressure and stop smoking. Furthermore, 180 people every day in the UK or die from coronary heart disease, which is one person in every eight minutes. We tend to have optimistic bias when it comes to illnesses which means we tend to think we are more special than the general person, be aware of this and take small changes if needed. Remember health is wealth.

Summary

Cholesterol is necessary for the body to carry out its functions. When we reduce cholesterol we need to reduce the bad cholesterol, this can be done through healthy lifestyle changes like eating less saturated fat.If you want a bespoke meal plan that will fit your energy needs and will reduce your cholesterol then email me info@thedeliciousnutritionist.com