High cholesterol level in the blood poses a great health risk. Cholesterol plaques can clog blood vessels and in the worst cases even lead to death. However, all this can be avoided by having a healthy cholesterol level and not increasing the level of harmful cholesterol. A few useful habits will help you keep cholesterol in the norm and live more healthily.
Pay attention to your eating habits
We have already written about the general principles of proper nutrition, and they are also applicable if you want to avoid the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood. However, some changes in diet are especially effective in this case – since cholesterol is essentially fat, one needs to make adjustments to their fat intake.
So, for example, reducing the intake of saturated fats that come from fried, meat and high-grade dairy products, can lower your “bad” cholesterol level. Ideally, this type of fat should not cover more than 5-6% of your daily calorie consumption.
Also, if possible, do not consume trans fats. Artificial fats are extremely harmful – after all, they not only increase the level of harmful cholesterol, but also reduce the level of your healthy cholesterol. Trans fats are especially often present in fried foods (donuts, French fries, etc.), as well as in packaged foods (chips, cookies, crackers). Therefore, always check the label and choose products that contain primarily unsaturated fats.
However, fats are also an important component of the diet, so it’s really not necessary to completely avoid them. Healthy fats such as those in olive oil and nuts increase the level of HDL and lower triglycerides level. Your doctor or nutritionist can help you determine the correct distribution of fats, carbohydrates and proteins in your diet.
Remove cholesterol from the blood
Some foods that contain a large amount of “soluble” fiber can help you remove excess cholesterol from the body. Soluble fiber, unlike insoluble type, is not excreted from the body without change, but on the contrary, it becomes gel-like in the intestine and absorbs excess fats. Foods that are rich in soluble fiber include beans, barley, oatmeal and most vegetables.
Make a choice in favor of complex carbohydrates, rather than simple ones – like the ones in baked goods and potatoes – and you will notice a drop in cholesterol level within a month. Experts claim that you can expect about 5% reduction in bad cholesterol if you increase the intake of fiber by 5-10 grams a day.
Activity is the key to health
The effect of exercise on cholesterol lasts for only about 24 hours. That’s why just a few hikes in the gym in a week will not give you the necessary stable improvement and stabilize the level of cholesterol in the blood. Be active for at least 30 minutes every day – especially if these 30 minutes are accompanied by a significant increase in your heart rate and help keep your weight in a healthy range.
It is also recommended to give your heart a little extra workload on some days – for example, train more vigorously, burst into running or just add 40 minutes of cardio to your regular training routine.
Reduce workload
Constant fatigue and stress at work have a very negative impact on health. Jobs take a really large amount of time in our lives, so it’s worth reducing the workload. Among other beneficial effects, this will also help with cholesterol regulation. Here are some tips on how to do this, even if your work itself is very stressful:
- Schedule short breaks, and use at least a couple of them for short walks or warm-ups.
- Use up all your vacation time.
- Distribute your workload to priorities, and then perform tasks depending on their difficulty or urgency.
Sometimes it is necessary to see the doctor
Habits and a lifestyle are the basis for staying healthy. However, sometimes the level of cholesterol might get to a dangerous mark regardless, or just quicker than a lifestyle change could help. In these cases, you need to listen to the doctor’s recommendations and adhere to the prescribed course of treatment. If you have any doubts about the prescribed treatment, doctors advise to immediately get a second opinion from another specialist, and begin treatment already on the basis of two diagnoses, for the most optimal result.
Treatment in Switzerland with Airdoc
In Switzerland, you can expect an excellent quality of medical care in combination with a comfortable stay, which is comparable with a vacation. Clinics in Switzerland combine an undeniable proven quality and a warm attitude to patients. Airdoc works with Swiss and foreign medical specialists who find an individual approach to each patient. When selecting clinics, we pay special attention to the infrastructure needed for a particular check-up or treatment, and we choose only the best quality/price ratio for our clients.
