|
|
Cholesterol: You May Need a Lifestyle Change!
You need to know that heredity has a lot to do with the total cholesterol you have in your body. So, sometimes changing your routines will not necessarily help your health. Not too long ago, it was commonly thought that
having a total blood
cholesterol level above 200mg was dangerous and cause for immediate use of
prescription medications. It has since been learned however, that the total
blood cholesterol level is not a good measuring stick for determining your
heart health, or your risks for developing heart related problems. Some
people naturally have higher total cholesterol levels than others do.
Now the ratio of good to bad cholesterol is important though. You should
strive to make natural, healthy lifestyle changes that will help boost your
HDL cholesterol levels while lowering your LDL at the same time.
One of the best natural ways to help keep your cholesterol levels at a
healthy balance, is to get some exercise each day. Even thirty minutes of
moderate exercise each day will help maintain your cholesterol and heart
health. Exercise forces your blood to move more quickly through your body.
And when you have extra cholesterol in your blood, the speeding up of the
movement will help the body dispatch that excess cholesterol more quickly.
The pumping of your blood will also help "clean" your arteries and
veins too, because the blood will pick up, break apart, and carry away any
build up of deposits in your arteries that could cause a potential blockage
in the future.
Changing how you eat is another very important natural way to manage your
body's cholesterol levels and ratios too. Saturated fats are not good for
you, but you need to realize this doesn't include all types of fat. Some
people feel they should stop eating all red meat because it contains
saturated fats too, but this is not a wise move for the overall health of
your body. Red meat contains nutrients and vitamins that our body's need,
and those nutrients can't be gotten from other types of foods. So if you're
worried about meat having too much saturated fat, simply reduce the amount
you eat, but don't remove it from your diet completely.
A best first move however, is to remove or drastically reduce the amount of
simple sugars and starches you eat each day. New research has emerged which
shows sugars and starches actually cause plaque build up in our arteries,
and these build ups can cause blockages which lead to heart attacks and
other heart problems.
There are several vitamins,
minerals and nutrients which are particularly helpful to keeping our heart
and circulatory system strong and healthy too, so changing how you eat is an
important step in the right direction.
Removing simple sugars and starches as we've mentioned, will help reduce the
amount of potential plaque build up in your arteries. And the less plaque
build up you have, the less chance you have of getting a blockage big enough
to cause a heart attack or other heart problems.
Adding fruits and vegetables to your daily diet is important too
though, because these foods help provide you with the extra vitamins and
nutrients needed to keep the heart healthy. Vitamins E, A, and C are
essential to helping keep our heart and circulatory system healthy, as is
potassium, calcium, magnesium, selenium and chromium. These nutrients can be
gotten by taking vitamin or herbal supplements each day, but you should also
try to include as many healthy food choices as you can to supply them as
well.
There are a variety of herbal supplements which can be used to tone,
strengthen, and maintain your heart and circulatory system too. These herbs
don't specifically adjust your cholesterol levels directly though. Instead,
they work on the overall systems related to the heart and health of your
body, which has the side effect of helping to normalize the blood
cholesterol levels at the same time.
Herbal supplements which are rich in vitamins and nutrients
naturally, are the best choices to use for daily general vitamin intake.
Alfalfa for instance, is very high in a wide variety of vitamins and
minerals plus it helps your body assimilate and use other herbs and plant
based foods more effectively.
Parsley is another vitamin packed herb which is excellent for
everyday health and wellness use. Parsley has three times more Vitamin C
than citrus, plus it's rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and many
other nutrients your body needs daily.
Kelp is an herb which is very rich in a variety of B vitamins as well
as potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron too. Kelp also helps regulate your
thyroid, which has the added benefit of boosting your body's energy levels
and metabolism, and that can help you lose weight. Losing weight of course,
is one of the first recommendations for getting your blood cholesterol
levels under control too.
Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This
article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as
professional medical advice.
Beating Cholesterol
Safely
and Naturally …Now!
Beating Cholesterol
Safely
and Naturally …Now!
Inside Mother
Home
Subscribe!
What's New?
Mother's Tea
Guest Article
Homebirth
Editorial
Best Articles
Breastfeeding
Dear Mother Dear
Reader Letters
Eternally Pregnant
Circumcision
Read
past
issues
of our newsletter
Site Features
Book Reviews
Mother Books
Cartoons!
Poems
Links
Birth
Stories
Site
Map
Advertising
Contact Us
Birth, Joy, &
Raspberry Leaves
-a new video compiled by Catherine and Amanda Young
of The Compleat Mother
Go HERE for more information on the waterbirth video!
Click here to read: The Farmer and the Obstetrician
Click here for the Home Sweet Homebirth (Video)
