There are several ways you can improve your cholesterol levels and boost the efficacy of the cholesterol treatments you take. We assembled a bunch of lifestyle tips that will help you lower cholesterol and enhance the treatment you take with cholesterol medications.
Let’s start with a brief guide on what is cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance in the bodies of humans. Cholesterol is situated in our blood vessels and also in our cells.
What cholesterol is for? Our bodies need cholesterol to ensure growing of our brain, skin, and many other organs. Essentially, it helps proper functioning of a number of vital organs in our bodies. Cholesterol produced in the liver. Additional cholesterol comes into our bodies with food we digest.
Good and bad cholesterol
All cholesterol is made up of good and bad cholesterol. Cholesterol known as High-Density Lipoprotein is good for our bodies for the reason it helps to get rid of bad cholesterol, also known as Low-Density Lipoprotein. The latter type is bad for our bodies because, when we have too much of it, it transforms into a plague. Cholesterol-induced plague blocks our arteries with clogs, which may lead to a stroke or heart attack.
We cannot live without cholesterol at all, but our bodies need to maintain a proper level of good cholesterol to help to remove the bad one.
The lifestyle tips on how to manage your cholesterol levels
1. Make sure to be selective in fats you digest
Saturated fats are very present in red meat and a number of dairy foods increase overall levels of cholesterol in your body. They also supply huge levels of bad cholesterol. Make sure to have less than 7 percent of calories comprised of saturated fats.
Simple tricks will help you:
- Take dairy that is low in fats. These can be found for example in olives and canola oils.
- Consider to taking leaner pieces of red meat.
- Trans fats are overcharged with bad cholesterol. They make good cholesterol lower as well. These are found in all fried foods. They are also very present in many well-advertised snacks, such as chips, cookies, and cakes.
- Avoid food with hydrogenated oils.
2. Diet as an effective means to help good cholesterol levels
As cholesterol comes with food, it is natural that we can take control over cholesterol levels with a help of a proper diet.
Here are types of food that are good cholesterol-friendly:
1. Oatmeal
Regular plane whole oatmeal can help substantially lower your bad cholesterol levels. Whole oats contain a natural substance that absorbs bad cholesterol. Your body will naturally excrete this bad cholesterol.
Hint: If you feel like you can’t eat this whole oat diet anymore, top it with berries, prunes, or any sort of natural ingredient. It will get better.
2. Blueberries
Blueberries are considered to be magic berries among diet specialists. They contain an enzyme that makes the liver produce less cholesterol. Blueberries are an excellent snack food which can become a perfect alternative to cookies, chips, and candies.
3. Fish with Omega 3
The types of fish that are very high in Omega 3 acids include tuna, some sorts of salmon, mackerel, and trout species usually found in lakes. Being mandatory body acids, Omega-3 are working on both bad and good cholesterol. They boost a good one, and simultaneously reducing the amount of a bad one.
The trick is that our bodies do not produce these acids. It can only be absorbed with food. It is rarely found in other food than fish. That is why people who live next to the sea or the ocean have significantly fewer risks to plague-forming. Besides helping with cholesterol, Omega 3 help in the functioning of the heart, your joints, the brain, and numerous other organs in the body.
4. Walnuts, almonds, and Pistachios
Let’s see what benefits nuts can bring us.
As far as battling with bad cholesterol is concerned these three types of nuts show the best results:
- Walnuts. These are high in the type of acid that helps significantly reduce the plaque build up caused by bad cholesterol.
- Pistachios. These nuts reduce all cholesterol levels. Besides, they help in battling with diabetes-related diseases in the arteries.
- Almonds. These type target specifically bad cholesterol, reducing its level.
With nuts, it is a bit trickier than with the rest of the natural cholesterol levelers we discuss. The thing is, all nuts are high in fat, so you’d better not to eat large amounts of them.
5. Black Beans
Beans are considered by diet specialists to be the super food. Specifically, black beans are known as the richest source of soluble fiber which works as an agent lowering the bad cholesterol levels.
In general, beans contain the greatest amount of soluble fiber among all existing plants. A half-cup of cooked beans contains twice as much soluble fiber as a half-cup of whole oats. Black beans can be a perfect substitute for red meat, so consider adjusting your diet with beans. The goal is to comprise your diet of any of these foods while reducing the high-cholesterol contained foods.
3. Make sure to exercise to boost efficacy of cholesterol medications
Exercise is a time-proven tool to lower your overall cholesterol. That doesn’t entail wasting several hours a day on exercise. Consider simple exercises like walking to a nearby grocery store instead of driving there, walking a staircase instead of taking an elevator. Repair your dusty bike and make short rounds around your house once in a while. Or else, consider a stationary bike that can be put in your living room or in the terrace. It takes very little space, it is inexpensive, and you can even watch tv while exercising.
4. Stop smoking
For those of you who still smoke cigarettes, do not do it anymore, if you want your cholesterol to be normal. Quitting smoking will make your blood pressure decrease and your heart rate less elevated. You will significantly lower the risk of heart disease.
Zocor in cholesterol treatment
Zocor belongs to a class of lipid-lowering medication. Zocor is a brand name for simvastatin, and it is a reliable medication to adjust your cholesterol levels. What Zocor does, it increases the levels of good cholesterol. Because of its qualities, it is often prescribed for patients with risks of heart complications. It targets a large set of heart-related problems.
Make sure to combine a treatment with Zocor with a set of lifestyle management techniques that help lower bad cholesterol levels.
Zetia as a time-proven cholesterol control pill
Zetia is a unique medication that works as a minimizer of cholesterol that comes with food. Zetia’s active component, known as Ezetimibe, is a game-changer in patients who doesn’t tolerate other cholesterol-lowering pills. Make sure to combine taking Zetia with a set of life style adjustments, such as diet adjustments, engaging in regular exercises, and others.
Other medications for cholesterol treatment
- Niaspan. Niaspan lowers levels of both total and good cholesterol while making good cholesterol levels higher.
- Crestor. Crestor lowers the bad cholesterol while increasing the amount of good cholesterol in your body. Crestor is also a reliable medication to slow the progression of atherosclerosis and the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
- Coumadin. Coumadin is an anticoagulant that affects blood clots so they would not grow in blood vessels, helping natural body agents’ in dissolving the clots.
- Aggrenox. Aggrenox is comprised of two anti-platelet meds, aspirin and dipyridamole. It affects the blood cells, in which clotting occurs. Aggrenox prevents the clumping of the blood cells and helps to lower the risk of stroke in those who went trough transient ischemia.
- Lovaza. Lovaza has omega-3 acid as a natural ingredient. Lovaza is the only omega-3- contained pill that is approved by the FDA. Lovaza helps to regulate cholesterol in your body, increasing the good cholesterol levels, while decreasing the bad cholesterol levels.