9 Ways To Reduce Bad Cholesterol

High LDL levels can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, and low levels can reduce it. Take action now: the following nine tips can help you reduce bad cholesterol.

What there is to know

Research: Studies show that for every drop of one point in LDL (“bad” cholesterol) – measured in milligrams per decilitre of blood, or in mg / dl – the risk to the heart decreases by 2%.

Safety zone: Experts now estimate that most people should target less than 100 mg / dL, especially in cases of heart risks such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family or personal history of heart disease. They give the same advice to smokers.

The goal is no longer simply to reduce the overall cholesterol level. Instead, it’s getting a good balance between the two main types.

• Researchers found that pushing LDL levels below 100 mg / dl stopped the progression of heart disease and reduced the death rate by 28%.

For starters, here are nine great tips.

1. Add cinnamon to your coffee

Pakistani researchers have found that about six grams (about a teaspoon) of cinnamon added to ground coffee before infusion reduced the LDL level by 30% in people with type 2 diabetes.

2. Remove trans fats

• Eat chopped vegetables instead of crackers and fruit instead of canned cookies or cakes bought in stores or bakeries.
• In addition, choose margarines that clearly indicate on the label that they do not contain trans fat. Why? Trans fats are worse for the heart than saturated fats because they increase the rate of LDL “bad” cholesterol and decrease the rate of “good” HDL cholesterol.
• Studies show that avoiding the consumption of these processed fats could reduce the risk of heart attack by 55%.

3. Use your slow cooker

Consuming leaner cuts of meat can help lower LDL levels, as each bite brings in less saturated fat that increases cholesterol levels.

• Meats with low fat content can be hard. Cooking them in a slow cooker is an easy way to tenderize meat without adding fat.

4. Make your own dressing

Use olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice, spices and crushed garlic.

• You will have more unsaturated fats that lower cholesterol and avoid the trans fats and saturated fats that swim in most bottled vinaigrettes – especially those that are creamy!

5. Eat oatmeal

Oats contain large amounts of a soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which rids the body of excess cholesterol.

• Regularly eating 350 grams (1 1/2 cups) of oatmeal can reduce LDL by 12 to 24%.

6. Have a pear or grapefruit every morning

Both fruits are rich in pectin, another soluble fiber that helps lower LDL.

• Grapefruits contain a substance that can interfere with the absorption of many medications, so contact your doctor and check with them before making grapefruit a regular food for your lunch.

7. Spend 10 minutes a day doing resistance exercises

Women who perform 45 to 50 minutes of resistance training that strengthens their muscles three times a week reduce their LDL levels by 14%.

• You fear not to get there? 10 minutes per day of abdominals, leg lifts and hip extensions will go in the right direction.

8. Avoid traps high in saturated fats

Your body uses saturated fats to produce LDL.

• Too much food such as cheesecakes, cheese burgers, ice creams and steaks is far too much of a raw material for the production of this kind of deadly heart attack.
• A better project: always stop and think before saying “yes” to heavy foods that contain animal fat. Instead, ask what you could take instead.

9. Eat six small meals a day

In a large UK study, people who “snacked” all day had lower cholesterol levels than those who ate big meals twice a day.

The difference was big enough for aficionados of small meals to see their risk of heart disease reduced by 10 to 20%.