Include fruit in breakfast
Include fruit in breakfast
All fruit is good but to have a healthy heart, choose berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), as they contain anthocyanin, a substance that gives them this color and also increases good cholesterol. If you don't like them, that's fine, apples are also good, as they contain pectin, a type of fiber that improves fat absorption mechanisms and controls bad cholesterol.
Pamper yourself
Pamper yourself
Stress has been shown to increase bad cholesterol levels and lower good cholesterol levels. Therefore, everything that helps you relax such as giving yourself a massage, doing sports, meditating, practicing yoga, singing, dancing … is great for controlling your cholesterol.
Would you like to start practicing yoga and you don't know how? Try one of these poses, you will be hooked!
Include avocado in the diet
Include avocado in the diet
Avocado has a monounsaturated fat that does not contain cholesterol but helps to raise the good HDL cholesterol. Experts recommend eating one a day in place of other saturated fats. But if you have to control your weight, eat no more than a quarter of an avocado a day.
If you want ideas to prepare it, take a look at these 11 recipes with avocado. They are super easy and delicious.
Take soy lecithin
Take soy lecithin
A tablespoon of soy lecithin provides phosphatidylcholine, a substance that can improve your HDL. If you want to multiply its effect, add it to some oat flakes, which also contain anti-cholesterol substances, such as avenasterol.
There are many natural remedies that control cholesterol, you can choose the ones that best suit your tastes.
Spread margarine on toast
Spread margarine on toast
A toast with margarine can help increase HDL levels according to a study by the Catholic University of San Antonio de Murcia. You can also spread avocado. It is a different but equally delicious combination.
Avoid overweight
Avoid overweight
The extra pounds are accompanied by triglycerides stored in the form of body fat. Its greater presence in the body is almost always related to a decrease in “good cholesterol”.
If you have trouble losing weight or you can't find a diet that works for you, take our test to find the ideal diet.
Taking natural plant sterols
Taking natural plant sterols
Sterols are a type of vegetable fat that can slow the absorption of cholesterol and are naturally present - albeit in small amounts - in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and some vegetable oils. So all you have to do is give prominence to these foods on your menus.
Exercising every day raises your HDL
Exercising every day raises your HDL
Physical exercise is also an excellent ally against bad cholesterol and can also reduce cardiovascular disease by up to 7%, according to a study by the University of Ochanomizu, in Tokyo (Japan). With 40 minutes a day, the benefit is much greater. Since consistency is what makes physical exercise beneficial, it is good that you find an activity that you enjoy. In addition, according to another study, if you practice it outdoors and with friends, you will be more motivated not to leave it.
Choose Iberian ham
Choose Iberian ham
Its fats are more similar to those of olive oil than to other animal fats, and for this reason they have numerous health benefits: their heart-healthy effects are recognized that increase “good cholesterol.” The only drawback in this case is its high price .
Do you have doubts about which ham is best for you? Dr. Beltrán solves them for you.
Do aerobic exercise
Do aerobic exercise
And if you do exercise, try to be aerobic, as it has proven to be a great help to reduce "bad" cholesterol and increase "good". If you don't like sports, you can always dance, which is great exercise.
Eat eggs
Eat eggs
Although its yolk contains cholesterol, it also has lecithin, which helps metabolize fats. You can take 3-4 a week, even more if your doctor doesn't tell you otherwise. Recent studies affirm that the consumption of eggs does not raise blood cholesterol, since the egg itself contains substances that block the entry of a good part of its cholesterol into the body. Do you like eggs? Here are 18 healthy reasons to eat them.
Blue fish 2 or 3 times a week
Blue fish 2 or 3 times a week
Oily fish contains omega 3 fatty acids that lower the level of triglycerides in the blood. If you also cook it with olive oil, which is a vegetable sterol, you will significantly reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition. What are the main blue fish? Salmon, sardine, tuna, bonito, anchovy, horse mackerel, swordfish, mullet, mackerel, lamprey, herring …
There is no need to complicate yourself, with a simple can of sardines you can eat luxurious and very varied. And if not, check out these 15 recipes.
Cholesterol is a substance that our body makes naturally or from certain foods and that is necessary because it is involved in many vital functions. If so, why are we so afraid of it? The problem arises when its levels become unbalanced, as it can lead to cardiovascular problems such as a heart attack.
In fact, according to the World Health Organization, 80% of cardiovascular diseases could be avoided with a healthy diet . The key to this is to find the balance between "bad cholesterol" (LDL) and "good cholesterol" (HDL), lowering the first and increasing the second. And, in this post we are going to help you with the latest, since we have compiled the best keys to increase good cholesterol quickly.
How to increase good cholesterol
- Avoid being overweight. The extra pounds are accompanied by triglycerides stored in the form of body fat. Its greater presence in the body is almost always related to a decrease in “good cholesterol”.
- Take soy lecithin. A tablespoon of soy lecithin provides phosphatidylcholine, a substance that can improve your HDL. Add it to rolled oats that contain anti-cholesterol substances, such as avenasterol, and you will multiply its effect.
- Eat eggs Although its yolk contains 185 mg of cholesterol (you can take up to 300 mg a day) it also has lecithin, which helps to properly metabolize fats. You can calmly take between 3 or 4 a week.
- Reduce stress, as it increases bad cholesterol levels and lowers good cholesterol. Therefore, everything that helps you relax is great for controlling your cholesterol.
- Spread the toast with margarine. A toast with margarine can help increase HDL levels according to a study by the Catholic University of San Antonio de Murcia.
- Blue fish 2 or 3 times a week. Salmon, mackerel, sardines or tuna are rich in omega 3 fatty acids that reduce the level of triglycerides in the blood. – Combine it with good fats. If you add olive oil, which is a plant sterol, you will significantly lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition.
- Include fruit in breakfast. Ideal if they are fruits of the forest (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), since they contain anthocyanin, a substance that gives them this color and that also increases good cholesterol. A study at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania found that good cholesterol increased by up to 10% and this reduced the risk of heart disease by up to 40%. You can take them natural or in juice. Blueberry juice, for example, is delicious.
- Eat apples. If you like to have an apple a day, keep this good habit. They contain pectin, a type of fiber that improves fat absorption mechanisms and controls bad cholesterol.
- Choose Iberian ham. Its fats are more similar to those of olive oil than other animal fats, and for this reason they have numerous health benefits: their heart-healthy effects are recognized that increase “good cholesterol.” The only drawback in this case is its high price .
- Include avocado in the diet. Avocado has a monounsaturated fat that does not contain cholesterol but helps raise HDL, according to researchers in the medical journal of the American Heart Association. Experts recommend eating one a day in place of other saturated fats. But if you have to control the weight, take a quarter. In addition, as avocado is rich in B vitamins and magnesium, it also maintains good central nervous system health, which will make it easier for you to control stress, the great enemy of being overweight and bad cholesterol.
- Natural plant sterols. They are a type of vegetable fat that can slow the absorption of cholesterol and are naturally present in small amounts in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and some vegetable oils. Our diet is poor in fruit (six out of ten Spaniards do not eat the two recommended minimum servings per day) and that is why it does not provide enough phytosterols, so all you have to do is give these foods more prominence in your menus.
- Exercising every day raises your HDL. Physical exercise is also an excellent ally against bad cholesterol and can also reduce cardiovascular disease by up to 7%, according to a study by the University of Ochanomizu, in Tokyo (Japan). Combat excess weight and body fat that causes triglycerides to increase. With 40 minutes a day, the benefit is much greater. As consistency is what makes physical exercise really beneficial, it is good that you find an activity that is easy to practice, fun and at an appropriate time (it is preferable in the morning and on an empty stomach since, according to a study burns 20% more fat). Other research found that people who practice it outdoors and with friends feel more motivated not to quit.
- Practice aerobic exercise, because it has been shown to have the ability to help you reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. If you don't like sports, you can always dance, which is great exercise.
What is good HDL cholesterol?
Not all cholesterol is the same, and if bad cholesterol (LDL) carries health risks, the so-called good cholesterol (HDL) protects you against those risks, since it prevents bad cholesterol from sticking to the arteries and clogging them . These are the differences between one and the other:
- LDL: Low-density lipoproteins. They transport bad cholesterol , which is known as such because it is the one that is deposited in the arteries and clogs them. In this way, the risk of suffering a cardiovascular accident considerably increases.
- HDL: High-density lipoproteins. They exert a protective effect against the action of the previous two, since they reduce the levels of bad cholesterol, that is why they are known as good cholesterol.
- VLDL: Very low density lipoproteins. They carry triglycerides , a type of fat necessary for our body (like cholesterol). In excess, they make the bad cholesterol (LDL) even denser and more easily deposited in the arteries, making it more harmful. Triglycerides are the fat that we see in a food: the grain of the ham, the fat under the skin of the birds … So that the amount of triglycerides in the blood is not excessively high we must limit the fats in the diet (between 20 and 30% of total daily calories, but the majority of the population exceeds those healthy limits).
Cholesterol levels
- Total cholesterol. It is the sum of everything, HDL and LDL. It should be below 200 mg / dl of blood. An excess up to 239 can be controlled through diet and exercise. Above 240 is considered very high.
- LDL "bad" cholesterol. It should be below 129mg / dl of blood. Up to 160 is slightly high. Above this figure can increase the risk of suffering a cardiovascular disorder (heart attack, stroke, angina pectoris …)
- HDL "good" cholesterol. It is acceptable above 50 in women and 40 in men. The higher the HDL cholesterol, the better protection against heart disease. Although according to recent studies, a large excess could also have negative consequences for health.
- Triglycerides. They come from dietary fats and the synthesis of the liver due to excess sugar. Less than 150 mg / dl of blood.
