LOWERING  HIGH CHOLESTEROL CAN ENHANCE YOUR LIFE

How do you lower high cholesterol levels? There are plenty of articles telling us that this is a good idea, but what are the practical steps that you can take to lower high cholesterol levels?

There are two principal approaches to this issue - one is lifestyle changes, the other the various medicines that can help to treat it. However, it is worth noting that medications don't work in isolation - your doctor will still be expecting you to make the necessary lifestyle changes. Thus the things that you can do yourself will ultimately be the most important factors in the battle to lower high cholesterol levels.

The goal of both of these approaches is to reduce overall cholesterol levels by attacking the "bad" LDL cholesterol. Reducing levels of LDL can reduce the risk of a heart attack.

At the same time, you want to be raising the level of the "good" HDL cholesterol - HDL takes cholesterol out of the blood and shuttles it to the liver, thus reducing your risk of heart problems.

The most popular approach these days is to follow what is termed the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet. The TLC diet focuses on reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet. While many people think that the problem is eating foods that are high in cholesterol, such as eggs, prawns, liver and kidney, this is rarely an issue.

Of much greater concern is the consumption of foods that are high in saturated fats. Saturated fats provoke the production of cholesterol by the body, and thus raise your overall cholesterol levels - in particular the "bad" LDL cholesterol.

The TLC diet is designed to help you learn what constitutes good food choices. The key element is avoiding foods that contain high levels of saturated fats. These include: Hard Cheese, Full Fat Milk and Yogurt, All Fast Foods To Include Burgers, Tacos and Fried Chicken, French Fries, Cakes, Cookies, Pastries And Butter.

More specifically, the TLC diet recommends that less than 7% of your daily calories from saturated fat, with no more than 200 mg of dietary cholesterol a day.

This is a huge change for most Americans - fast food makes up 55% of all the food eaten by Americans, and is the main reason that the average American gets anywhere form 25 to 35% of their calories from saturated fat.

The TLC diet advocates that while 25% to 35% of daily calories should come from fat, it should mainly be unsaturated fat, specifically monounsaturated fat. Sources of monounsaturated fat include:

• Olive oil
• Nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews)
• Avocado
• Sesame seeds
• Pumpkin seeds

Another key lifestyle factor is losing weight. A reduction of just 5 lb to 10 lb can have a significant effect on cholesterol levels and blood pressure.  Similarly, exercising more can have a profound positive impact.

Exercise can raise your "good" HDL, and will of course help you to control your weight and high cholesterol. Finally, if you are a smoker, you should quit smoking. Quitting smoking can help raise your HDL and improve your overall heart health.