10 Easy Tips to Lower Cholesterol

Do you have high cholesterol and need to lower it? It is not surprising considering how many people have high cholesterol these days. To help reduce cholesterol, here are 10 tips you can implement today.

As with anything related to health, diet and exercise are crucial components. What you eat is critical to lowering your cholesterol levels, so that is included here.

One thing you should know is the difference between LDL and HDL. I just think that HDL is "healthy" and LDL "bad." HDL helps carry cholesterol out of blood vessels, while LDL can be deposited within the walls of the arteries.

The good news is that you can change your cholesterol level for the better. Here's how:

1. Have a nice sandwich on whole wheat bread or a pita with some lean turkey and many vegetables. Skip the hot dogs, bologna, salami, and hold the Mayo. All these are highly processed and full of fat and cholesterol.

2. Fish such as salmon, is good. Look for wild red salmon varieties, which are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (good fat). In addition, flaxseed is a good source of Omega-3.

3. Avoid trans fats! Not only raise LDL cholesterol, may also reduce HDL levels! Avoid foods such as margarine, shortening and processed foods containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

4. Go ahead, go crazy! Aside from the nuts, but also try almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, and pecans. Nuts are high in fat, but the good kind. (Also, use natural peanut butter instead of the normal kind which contains unhealthy trans fats).

5. Limit desserts and try to eat only the healthier ones like angel food cake, cookies, gelatin and nonfat frozen yogurt.

6. Eat high fiber content. These are: whole wheat bread, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans and some cereals. (Look for the boxes that say "can help reduce cholesterol.")

7. Use the grill. If we are to have meat or burgers, grill at home and use lean meat. This practice avoids the grease, is fun, and the meat tastes great.

8. Find a new salad dressing. Most of them are full of trans fats and cholesterol. Olive oil is good, and maybe add vinegar or lemon juice. Also, avoid bacon bits, croutons and egg yolks.

9. Go overboard on fruits and vegetables. They contain no cholesterol and provide many nutrients and antioxidants.

Here are some examples: green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, mangos, papaya, pineapple, tomato, garlic, onion, spinach, water chestnuts, bananas, apricots, blueberries and kiwi.

10. Avoid fast food like french fries and anything else from the deep fryer. Those foods will raise your cholesterol like crazy, so stay away from fast food local meetings.

11. Bonus tip: Use spices like pepper and oregano to add flavor to your dishes. They are a healthy alternative to other toppings like Mayo.

That was easy, right? Just some of these changes and get plenty of exercise such as walking, jogging, swimming or playing basketball. You will need to lower cholesterol in no time!