With the Summer often comes change – so what better time to improve your health and well-being? There are many different reasons that people choose to focus on their health, especially to lower their cholesterol as high cholesterol can come with many risks.
High cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease and heart attacks, so trying to lower it might improve your overall quality of life. There are plenty of medications that can help you lower your cholesterol, however, there are also lifestyle changes that can help too. Nutravita gives advice on these below.
Eat Heart-Healthy
There are a few changes you can make to your diet to help lower your cholesterol levels and to improve your heart health for the better.
Reduce your saturated fats
Primarily found in red meat and full-fat dairy products, reducing saturated fats can decrease your ‘bad cholesterol’.
Eliminate trans fats
Trans fats, often found in cookies, crackers and cakes can raise your overall cholesterol.
Eat Foods Rich in Omega 3
Foods rich in omega 3 don’t have a direct connection to cholesterol, however, can provide you with some other health benefits, like reducing blood pressure. Foods that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids include salmon, mackerel, herring and many more.
Increase your Fibre
Eating food with plenty of fibre in can help absorb cholesterol in your bloodstream, and you can get good fibre from things like oatmeal, kidney beans and vegetables.
Increase Physical Activity
Increasing your physical activity can improve your cholesterol levels and bring them down. Doing moderate exercise can help raise the ‘good’ cholesterol in your body, this is called high-density lipoprotein. Doing up to 30 minutes of physical activity at least three times a week can reduce your chances of heart disease and heart attacks.
These are just some of the ways you can increase your activity without overdoing it.
- Making the most of the free time in your day by taking a brisk walk during your lunch break
- If this is an option, ride your bike to work
- Find a hobby or a sport to take up
If you do – Quit Smoking
By quitting smoking you can decrease your high cholesterol levels, and you’ll quickly see the benefits. Within a year your risk of heart disease or heart attacks is half the risk of a smoker.
Lose Weight
If you find yourself carrying a few more pounds than usual, especially over the festive period, then this can be contributing to your high cholesterol levels. There are so many small changes you can make day to day to live a healthier lifestyle and aid in losing weight.
Choosing lighter snacks, better drinks and keeping track of what you’re eating could be that little change to help reduce your cholesterol levels.
Drink in Moderation
Drinking in moderation has been proven to decrease your cholesterol levels. Healthy adults are recommended one drink a day for women of all ages, and men older than 65, and for men under the age of 65 can have two drinks.
Much more alcohol than that on a daily basis can lead to serious health problems, like heart failure, high blood pressure and strokes.
At Nutravita we also stock vitamins and supplements that support normal heart function. Our range of supplements are carefully produced to help maintain normal heart function by giving your body the nutrients it needs to keep things ticking along nicely.
Omega 3 High Strength 1400mg 90 Softgels
Our Omega 3 softgels have a shell made using gelatine from fish whereas many competitors use bovine gelatine. DHA and EPA contribute to the maintenance of normal blood pressure, brain function, vision and heart function.
Our Heart Bundle provides three essential heart health ingredients all in one convenient bundle.
To support the health of your heart, this bundle provides Omega 3 50/20. This delivers the highest concentration of EPA and DHA from fish oil to help maintain overall heart health.
It also contains Garlic Oil which helps maintain healthy circulation and in turn a healthy heart and Heart Complex which contributes to the maintenance of normal function of the heart.
