Past Tense

When your physician hands you the diagnosis that you have high cholesterol levels and you must change your lifestyle to reduce your cholesterol, you should also be striving to raise HDL cholesterol levels in your blood. When cholesterol is elevated, the HDL cholesterol has been proven to decrease the LDL cholesterol that is bad and help you prevent the problems that come with having a high cholesterol number.

If your HDL cholesterol is at a low level, you may have a greater chance of developing heart disease. Low HDL cholesterol levels will cause the LDL cholesterol to stay in the arteries where it can cause a blockage. If you raise HDL cholesterol, this causes LDL cholesterol to move from your arteries and go to your liver where it can be processed.

Understanding your food habits is the initial step your doctor will use to control your cholesterol levels. A nutrition expert will be able to give you advice on a diet plan that will assist in lowering your LDL cholesterol and at the same time raise HDL cholesterol. Such a diet plan will consist of low fat, lean protein and vegetables and fruits that provide a lot of nutrients.

Reducing risk for heart disease requires work. The only way to improve your heart function, lose weight, raise HDL cholesterol and reduce your LDL “bad” cholesterol, is to begin an exercise regimen and keep up a daily routine of eating properly.

It is advisable to make the task of improving cholesterol a family affair. When you get the feel of the healthy diet, it will be quite simple and natural to follow the diet plan. Persuading your family members to join you will actually help in improvement of their health too. Your children should be taught the effects of nutrition on their health and the eating habits that will provide them with nutrition. If we are able to do so successfully, this will help them throughout their life to maintain health and avoid health related difficulties.

There are various sources from which you can get information on how to eat and live healthy. Eating healthy as well as tasty food is what everyone would like, and these recipes can be found in many cookbooks. With the help of these books, you can cook food which will help you lower your LDL levels and raise HDL cholesterol levels.

If you are able to lower your cholesterol level with the foods that you consume, then you will likely not be required to take any medications. However, remember that a diet plan alone may not be sufficient to lower bad cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol concurrently. You should always consult your doctor, who will advise you on medications necessary for control of cholesterol.