Lowering Cholesterol

Leave a comment Posted on September 20, 2016February 18, 2017 Cardiovascular disease

5 great ways to lower cholesterol naturally!

High cholesterol is the bane of the developed world. In the modern world we have more, better and much easier to prepare food than in previous centuries. But, this also means, far too many of us now have the opportunity to overindulge. (I’ll put my hands up here and say I’m one of those guilty of what I have to call greed). The problem with this kind of eating is that it does have the tendency to raise our cholesterol levels.

According to the NHS evidence strongly indicates that high cholesterol can increase the risk of:

narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis)

heart attack

stroke

transient ischaemic attack (TIA) – often known as a “mini stroke”

peripheral arterial disease (PAD)

So I think we can all agree that we need a few ideas of reducing our cholesterol levels.

So I thought I would share the following five tips which you can use to help reduce your cholesterol with our recourse to medication.

a) Yes indeed I know healthcare professionals sound like a broken record on the subject of drink. But it is important to cut down (if you do drink) to cut a glass or two a day. Oh and make sure that you have a few drink free days each week including weekends.

b) Smoking tobacco. If you still smoke please please do give up. Please check out a previous blog post with a few tips to help you quit.

c) Now I know that many pixels have died in the cause of lecturing us about taking more exercise. But it also has numerous other benefits as this article shows!

d) Chronic stress can impact on your cholesterol levels. To have a look at these great ideas for reducing stress in your life.

e) Foods fortified with plant sterols and stanols. Foods which contain sterols and stanols include corn, coconut, olive and sunflower oils, beans, corn, peanut butter, almonds, oranges, apples, and avocados. A great way of getting down your cholesterol.

If you do have any concerns about your cholesterol levels please do speak with a medical professional as they are best able to advise on your best course of action!

And if you do have any other tips for reducing cholesterol please do share them in the comment section at the bottom of this blog post.

6 Comments Posted on September 25, 2014 Cardiovascular disease, Patient Talk

Stroke Awareness – Get informed and share with others.

Stroke Awareness

As we mentioned in recent post on World Heart Day noncommunicable diseases are now the planets biggest cause of premature death. The post gives some handy advice as to how to lower your salt consumption which in turn lowers your risk of having a stroke.

So we thought it would be a good idea to share Donnee Spencer’s brilliant stroke awareness butterfly. It would be great if you could share this with your freinds and famil

A as a way of reducing the risk of a stroke you may well wish to lower your cholesterol intake as well as your salt and sodium usage. Check out this article for some great tips on how to do so here.

1 Comment Posted on February 28, 2014February 28, 2014 Patient Talk

Lowering your cholesterol. Check out these handy and practical tips on reducing your cholesterol levels.

Lowering Cholesterol

The newspapers, TV and internet are full of it. It seems that you cannot turn anywhere without being given dire warnings about the dangers of having too high cholesterol.

And no wonder.

Recent studies suggest that people with high cholesterol (or hyperlipidemia as the boffins call it) are at much greater risk of strokes, heart attacks and heart disease in general. So I think it can safely be said that it is something we should all be looking out for.

That being said, it does seem that getting good practical advice for those of us rushing around does not seem to be as easy as we would like.

So we at PatientTalk.Org have decided to put together a list of ideas which you can use on a daily basis.

a) Eat whole grain foods like brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. You might want to experiment with things like quinoa or bulgur wheat. Porridge or rolled oats for breakfast are a winner.

b) Lots of fruit and vegetables. I mean lots. My mother suggests leaving skins on vegetables whenever possible. So you can still peel pumpkins.

c) Don’t eat animal or chicken skin and fat. You might even think of becoming vegetarian for at least some of the time.

d) Exercise. There are lots of possibilities and we have covered a fair few on this blog. https://patienttalk.org/exercise-for-people-with-chronic-pain/

e) Give junk food the body swerve.

f) Use olive and other healthier oils in cooking and dressings but do so sparingly.

g) Cook for yourself and do try to eliminate processed food.

h) Take a packed lunch to work or school rather than buying something when you are there.

i) Oh yes and give up smoking. But you knew that, didn’t you?

If you have any other suggestions please feel free to share in the comments box below.

Our readers would love to hear your story!