Get Your Cholesterol in Check this September

Did you know that elevated cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease?

Learn all you can this September about keeping your heart healthy for National Cholesterol Month. The American Heart Association celebrates all month long by encouraging people to reach out to health professionals to check their cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is needed in the body to make hormones, Vitamin D, and is found in every cell in the body. It maintains the integrity of your cell membranes and plays a role in the way your cells communicate with each other so your body can function properly.

However, when there is too much in the bloodstream it can attach to artery walls and cause blockages, which can be dangerous.

There are two main types of cholesterol that you may have already heard of: HDL, which is considered the “good” cholesterol, and LDL, which is considered the “bad” cholesterol. If you have high cholesterol, it’s usually associated with a high level of LDL and a low level of HDL, but that is not always the case.

When you have high levels of LDL cholesterol, it increases your risk of coronary heart disease. High cholesterol is becoming more prevalent due to poor diet and lack of exercise. You could have high cholesterol and not even know it!

Keep Your Cholesterol in Check

While high cholesterol is in large part due to genetics, there are steps that you can take to reduce your LDL levels and increase your HDL.

Here are 3 tips to help keep your cholesterol in check:

Healthy Diet: Diet plays a huge role in cholesterol levels. You might avoid dietary cholesterol in fear of raising your blood level of cholesterol, but saturated fat and trans-fat play a bigger role in raising your levels. These fats are found in fried foods, high-fat meat, and many processed foods and should be eaten in limited amounts. Diets that contain unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, walnuts, almonds, avocado, and salmon, in place of saturated fats can actually help lower cholesterol. A high-fiber diet can also help lower your cholesterol levels.

Exercise Routine: A regular regimen of physical activity can help prevent and lower cholesterol. Start with an easy walk or workout and work your way up to a moderate-intensity level at least 5 days a week for a half hour.

Active Lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle can increase your risk of high cholesterol. If you have a job that keeps you confined to a desk 9-5, make it a point to go for a walk during your lunch hour or after dinner.

Lowering Cholesterol with Food

Getting your cholesterol levels checked on a consistent basis is the key to living a healthy life. According to the American Heart Association, those who have cholesterol levels higher than 240 mg/dl are at double the risk of having a heart attack.

Here are some ways to lower your cholesterol with food:

Include “good” fats in your diet such as avocados, olive oil, and nuts.

Limit intake of saturated fat intake and trans fats.

Substitute plant-based foods in place of red meat.

Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish. Try salmon, albacore tuna, sardines, and lake trout. Try to make your goal of eating fish 3-5 times a week.

Incorporate more fiber in the diet which can aid in lowering cholesterol as well. You can get fiber from beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grain products. Snacking on apples is a great way to get your serving of fruit while boosting your fiber intake to help lower cholesterol levels.

Make sure to get enough Folic Acid which helps to decrease elevated levels of homocysteine, which may contribute to the risk of heart disease and stroke. Folic Acid can be found in foods such as green leafy vegetables which include spinach and broccoli. Beans and peas are also good sources of Folic Acid.