Natural ways to reduce cholesterol in Nigeria.
High Cholesterol is when the blood contains too much LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).
When left without treatment , high cholesterol can lead to many health problems, including heart attack or stroke.
High cholesterol DOES NOT show any symptoms. You can see someone very OK now and the next minute is down with stroke. That’s why it’s important to get your cholesterol levels checked on a regular basis.
Prevention of stroke is better than cure or treatment especially when caused by a blood clot to the brain resulting from having a high cholesterol level. (Trust me cos I’m talking from the experience of someone I know)
6 things you can do to NATURALLY reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood are ;
1. Focus more on FRUITS and VEGETABLES. This will increase your fiber intake to flush out bad cholesterol levels and toxins out of the body.
2. STOP EATING saturated fats found in milk and milk products, butter, margarine, intestinal meats, fatty beef and chicken skin. Hydrogenated oils used in baking and frying flour based snacks.
3. SWITCH to plant based proteins like soya beans, red and black beans, white and brown beans, pinto beans and peas. Animal protein has been found to increase the amount of bad cholesterol and fat levels in the blood.
4. Exercise More Often: Exercise strengthens your heart and improves your circulation. The increased blood flow raises the oxygen levels in your body. This helps lower your risk of heart diseases such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and heart attack. Regular exercise can also lower your blood pressure and triglyceride levels.
5. Stop Smoking: When smoking, the nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide and other harmful substances in the tobacco will enter the blood vessel through the gas exchange between the alveoli and the blood, which interferes with the fat metabolism in the blood and destroys the elasticity of the blood vessels. Moreover, passive second-hand smoke also has similar damage to blood vessels.Smoking injures blood vessels, helps precipitate the clogging of cholesterol to the injured blood vessel and causes peripheral vascular disease.. You want to avoid this?…. Then run away from alcohol fast.
6. DIET IS KEY: It is important to raise HDL cholesterol. This is possible by physical exercise, High Fiber Vegetarian diet, fruits, Green vegetables, Leafy Green Vegetables ,correction of obesity and Stopping of excess alcohol consumption, smoking and tobacco products.
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Dr Udomoh
