How do you discover that you have high cholesterol ? It's not completely straightforward, you may be over weight or you may just be aware that you are of an age where cholesterol is an issue. High cholesterol can affect anyone of any age but it is generally more common in people over 40. So if you are of that age you may visit your doctor and ask to be checked or you could purchase a disposable home test kit. The kit will give you a ball park indication about your cholesterol level. If it comes in high or borderline high then you should visit your doctor. Your doctor will give you a proper blood test and get some concrete figures with regards to your total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol readings.
When you are first diagnosed as having an unacceptable level of cholesterol your doctor will probably suggest you modify your lifestyle. Of course every case has to be judged on it's own merits. If you have a particularly high cholesterol reading you may be prescribed drugs immediately. However most people that are first diagnosed are in the borderline high category and a change in lifestyle is an effective and efficient way to lower cholesterol and get back on the straight and narrow.
A lifestyle change effectively means changing what you eat and being more active.
Some guidelines for this include eating meats that are lean in fat and skin. Things like chicken and fish are low cholesterol substitutes for red meat or fatty meats like pork or lamb. When you cook foods make sure not to fry your foods. You can bake, broil, steam, roast or grill your food.
Buy low fat equivalents of your favorite foods. The obvious examples are low fat dairy products. You can get all manner of varieties of low fat milk that have extra calcium or added vitamins. This is the way to go if you like milk but have high cholesterol.
Avoid foods that have high levels of saturated and trans fats. These are normally processed foods so you can check the labels on the back of their packaging for the quantity of these types of fats. Fast food also use saturated or trans fat oils for cooking so try to cut back on the fast food or avoid it all together.
Eat fresh is the motto. This means fresh fruit and vegetables but also fresh meat cooked by you rather than pre-cooked or ready meals. This gives you control over how it is cooked and the type of oils used to cook it.
Exercise every day by walking, running, jogging, dancing, or other activities that will keep you in better shape. Start off small and work up to longer sessions. Your doctor will be able to give you some advice on this subject. He/she will suggest doing at least twenty minutes a day to begin with and then build up to an hour or more. Do physical activities that you like to do as this will keep you motivated. If you don't like competitive sports then try walking/riding to work, do an active hobby like gardening. Use every opportunity to do physical activity like using stairs rather than the elevator.
Smoking increases your chances of heart disease, increases LDL cholesterol and decreases HDL cholesterol. Your doctor will advise you to try to quit. Everybody knows this is good advice so will it be the catalyst that makes you quit for good ? Let's hope so.
If this fails to make any impact on your cholesterol level then you may be prescribed a medicine. Statins are popular and effective in lowering cholesterol but they should be seen as a last resort.
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