Lower Cholesterol Naturally Protects Your Heart and Health

There have been many studies over the years that provide conclusive clinical evidence that high cholesterol levels lead to heart disease. It is important to understand how lower cholesterol naturally protects your heart.

Cholesterol is a substance essential to our health. It plays a critical role in all our cell membranes and other functions in the body. About 70% of the cholesterol we need is manufactured by our liver, and the remainder is from the food we eat. It is transported throughout our system in the blood.

Under normal circumstances cholesterol does not present any problems. However if our cholesterol levels are too high, the excess cholesterol can become deposited on the walls of our arteries causing blockages and reduction of blood flow. Left unchecked it is one of the prime causes of heart disease due primarily to the reduced blood flow through the arteries that supply the heart itself. For the same reason it can cause stroke through blockage of the blood supply in the arteries supplying blood to the brain.

By taking precautions to maintain lower cholesterol levels our health and wellness can be improved. This is not difficult to do. For most people it simply requires changes to our lifestyle and habits, particularly our diet and exercise habits.

Despite being relatively simple it seems that in the developed world today cholesterol levels are at an all-time high amongst the population. This is the product of the affluent lifestyle most of the population leads in terms of high consumption of animal products, dairy products, fast foods, and packaged foods. Together with minimal activity and reduced consumption of fiber, fruits and vegetables it creates significant problems in terms of health. This is likely one of the main reasons why diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer are so very prevalent in our contemporary society.

One of the key indicators of impending health problems is cholesterol levels. High levels of LDL cholesterol and low levels of HDL cholesterol should be of particular concern to everyone. Therefore having the knowledge to rectify this problem and also to take control of your own cholesterol levels is an important step for you to take in assuming responsibility for your own well-being.

You need to understand how lower cholesterol naturally gives you the protection you need from heart disease and many of the other diseases I mentioned above. You should make sure you understand how your diet and your level of activity can affect your cholesterol. In general to change to a good cholesterol diet would mean developing the following dietary habits in your quest to achieve the realization of how lower cholesterol naturally can be acheived:

1.      Delete or minimize

  • Animal products
  • Trans fats – i.e. hydrogenated unsaturated fatty acids (oils)
  • Saturated fats – especially butter and dairy products

2.      Add or increase

  • Polyunsaturated fats – Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids from fish and vegetable oils
  • Monounsaturated fats – from seed oils, olive oil etc
  • Fiber – especially soluble fiber
  • Fruits and vegetables

That still leaves plenty of nice flavors and nourishing foods. All it really needs is for you to understand how lower cholesterol naturally benefits your health, and to make the decision to follow that general direction.