High Cholesterol: Here are few diet changes that can help improve your heart health
Cholesterol is essential for our body but high cholesterol in the body means the risk of heart disease and heart attack is high. High Cholesterol causes narrowing of the arteries, high blood pressure, and obstruction of proper blood circulation.
Changing lifestyle, poor eating habits, and lack of exercise paves way for the cholesterol to become the villain. Usually, there will not be any direct symptoms that show the level of cholesterol in the body. The American Academy of Dermatology’s Association has stated that high cholesterol can cause serious health problems where the symptoms can be seen in the skin.
Health experts say that high cholesterol can cause blockages in the arteries if left untreated early, leading to an increased risk of a heart attack. There might have symptoms like small, soft, yellow, or red tumors on the elbows, knees, hands, feet, or sometimes around the nose. Some come as normal acne but these can actually be a symptom of high cholesterol or pancreatitis. Some of these may be too large and they can often develop on any part of the body, without pain.
Along with medications, following a healthy diet can limit the cholesterol to go high. A few changes in your diet can reduce cholesterol and improve your heart health:
- Reduce saturated fats: Saturated fats like red meat and full-fat dairy products, raise your total cholesterol. Decreasing your consumption of saturated fats can reduce your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the “bad” cholesterol.
- Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids don’t affect LDL cholesterol. But they have other heart-healthy benefits, including reducing blood pressure. Foods with omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, mackerel, herring, walnuts, and flaxseeds.
- Increase soluble fiber. Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Soluble fiber is found in such foods as oatmeal, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples, and pears.
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- Add whey protein. Whey protein, which is found in dairy products, may account for many of the health benefits attributed to dairy. Studies have shown that whey protein given as a supplement lowers both LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol as well as blood pressure
