Laugh More to Lower Your Cholesterol Fast (plus 12 More Easy Ways)

High cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease or heart attacks. It is very important that you can reduce its negative effects by medications and healthy lifestyle changes. These changes will help you reduce the “bad” cholesterol and raise the “good” HDL cholesterol.

Suzanne Steinbaum, DO, an attending cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City suggests patients to start somewhere and just keep going.  By adopting such lifestyle changes, everything starts shifting and there can be a visible results by 3 months.

Medications can also improve the cholesterol – lowering effect, but healthy lifestyle changes provide far greater results, without the risk of side effects.

How to Get Rid of Cholesterol?

Just follow these tips:

1. Trans Fats are Forbidden

Steinbaum claims that the risk of heart disease and attack results from the trans fats, which raise the “bad” and lower the “good” cholesterol. They are considered the worst type of fats we can eat. However, they are present in most of our daily meals, fried food, cakes, pies, pizza, cookies, snacks, margarines and is really hard to avoid them.

How can people limit their intake of trans fats? It is important to read the Nutrition Panel on foods you buy in the stores and when eating ask what kinds of oil have been used when cooked in. If you see “partially hydrogenated oil” or trans fats 0.5, be sure that you are consuming the trans fats although it is not labeled.

2. Scale Back

Losing weight is  beneficial for many health problems, from reducing cholesterol to prevent diseases. Just by dropping 10 pounds, you will reduce 8% of you cholesterol. Bear in mind to lose weight safely, 1 to 2 pounds a week by eating 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day.

3. Get Moving

Sarah Samaan, MD, a cardiologist in Plano, TX says that in order to raise HDL and reduce LDL and triglycerides one should exercise at least two and a half hours a week. Beginners should exercise for about 10-minute blocks with some interesting exercise.

4. Fiber – Rich Food

Foods rich with soluble fiber, have been proven particularly effective at lowering cholesterol. You should take oats, barley, peas, beans, carrots, beets, eggplant and a lot more. The soluble fiber keeps the body from absorbing cholesterol. Just 5 to 10 more grams daily will help you fight cholesterol. Although healthy, be sure that your intake of fiber is reasonable.

5. Try Fishing

Certain types of fats actually protect against high cholesterol. Fish is a great source of protein because it is high in Omega-3 acids that are good for your heart while at the same time lowers cholesterol and saturated fat. To get the most omega-3 choose wild salmon, sardines and tuna rather than shark, swordfish and mackerel.

6. Choose Olive Oil

Olive oil will provide your body more benefits than any other oil. It serve as a low dose of medication since it may reduce LDL cholesterol by as much as 15%. What makes olive oil beneficial is the “good” fat in it, more antioxidants that help prevent disease. It is always better to choose extra-virgin olive oil.

7.  Take Nuts

Nuts have a large number of vitamins including vitaminE, magnesium, copper, phytochemicals and omega-3 as well. They are also rich with sterols, which keeps the body from absorbing cholesterol. Bear in mind to to eat too much because they are high in calories.

8. Relax Yourself

Stress has a great impact on cholesterol. So, it is very important to chill out by some book, some walk, yoga or going out with friends. This will spread a positive energy and balance your cholesterol.

9. Try Spices

Although spices add more than flavor to your food, they can also improve cholesterol. Try using some garlic, ginger, black pepper, coriander, curcumin and cinnamon, the food will be more tasty and more healthy. Especially garlic can lower cholesterol up to 9%.

10. Stop Smoking

Smoking and a high level of  cholesterol are the worst possible combination. One of the major risks of cardiovascular disease is being a smoker. The greatest impact that smoking has on cholesterol is how it lowers HDL and rises LDL.

Not smoking improves many functions of the body and you should engage in good habits in order to lower the cholesterol level.

11. Laugh More

Laughter is the healthiest habit for the whole body. It reduces “bad” cholesterol, increases the “good” one and lifts the spirit in you. Make some silly, comic things, enjoy the life with laughter. Let the laughter be your medicine.