Is your cholesterol level high but not high enough for medication?
How to understand your cholesterol results and ways to lower it naturally
We have all heard that too much cholesterol in our body is bad for us but what is cholesterol and what does it mean?
Cholesterol is a substance produce by the liver and is found in some foods. It is carried in blood by proteins. These proteins are either bad – LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) or good – HDL (High Density Lipoprotein).
Diseases of the heart and circulatory problems can result from too much cholesterol in the blood.
What do the results mean?
Cholesterol results are split in the following ways:
- Your TC level (Total Cholesterol – which is a measurement of LDL ‘bad’ and HDL ‘good’ cholesterol) should be below 5 millimols per litre of blood (mmol/l).
- The level for LDL should be less than 3mmols/l
- The level for HDL should be more than 1.2 mmol/l for women and 1mmol/l for men.
- The result for a fasting triglyceride sample should be 2 mmols/l or less and a non-fasting result should read 4 4 mmols/l or less
A total cholesterol of say 5.8mmols/l is higher than average but would not necessitate medical treatment until the level was much higher.
What should I be eating to lower my cholesterol level?
Consider these 8 ways to eat more healthily and reduce cholesterol levels:
- Sunflower or olive oil spreads should be used on bread in place of butter
- Try not to cook with butter, lard, ghee or goose fat and use vegetable oils sparingly
- Swap fatty meats like sausages and burgers for lean meats (chicken, turkey) without their skin and fish of all kinds (white and oily).
- Replace sugary snacks such as cakes, biscuits, chocolate, pastries with fruit, nuts or hummus
- Avoid full-fat milk, yoghurt or cream and instead choose a lower fat option
- Aim to cut cheese out of your diet altogether
- Be aware of hidden sugars – tomato-based soups and sauces sometimes contain lots of sugar
- Grill, slow cook or poach your foods but do not fry. If you are roasting then only use a small amount of either olive, sunflower or rapeseed oil.
Read more on what to eat to help reduce your cholesterol level naturally
Should I be moving more?
The short answer to that is yes! Try some of these ways to change your lifestyle habits:
- Up your exercise – avoid lifts or escalators and use the stairs whenever possible, park further away from your destination and walk the rest, go for a brisk walk during your lunch break, do some gardening, swim, ramble, take your neighbour’s dog out – anything that will make you move more.
- Quit smoking – you can get help with this from your GP and there are plenty of support groups and information from the NHS
- Drink less alcohol – you should not be drinking more than 14 units a week and these should not be drunk all at once!
- Try and lose some weight – particularly if your waistline is more than 80cm or 32 inches as this carries an increased risk.
Find out how walking is good for us
Disclaimer
All content on Silversurfers.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated at all as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Silversurfers will not be responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content on www.silversurfers.com and we are also not liable for the content of any external websites or links from or to Silversurfers to any other websites. Please always consult your own doctor if you’re in any way concerned about any aspect of your health
Melina - Assistant Editor
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