Natural ways to lower blood pressure and cholesterol

Introduction

Living a healthy life cannot be imagined as accompanied by high blood pressure and cholesterol level. These two conditions can slip in without virtually any symptom (in the beginning at least) and then slowly but surely harm our bodies. The point at which the majority of people learn about their high cholesterol, both LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) and HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) and blood pressure, is when they enter the application process for the health or medical insurance plan. Of course, contemporary medicine offers prescription drugs which can dramatically reduce cholesterol level, but since nature offers completely safe medicines, it is better to opt for them.

Exercise – the mother of all remedies

By working out on a regular basis a person helps their body lower the tension, get slimmer, accelerate metabolism processes, use up more calories etc. What has been proven to reduce the levels of cholesterol and triglyceride is physical activity on a regular basis. Apart from these two invaluable benefits, working out will help you lose weight if you have a surplus of it and decrease the body mass index. These factors will assist you in decreasing the heart failure, high blood pressure and diabetes risk.

Trans fats – silent killers

Where can we most frequently encounter trans fats? For example, they can be found in fried dishes, pastry products, biscuits and such. It has been suggested (by, for example The American Heart Association`s Nutrition Committee) that the trans fat intake be no higher than 1% of the total calorie intake in a day, in order to reduce risks for high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Avoid stress

The contemporary lifestyle brings many stressful challenges to us, and it is virtually impossible to avoid them altogether. Anxiety is a dangerous thing since it induces the release of harmful chemicals in our bodies, and those substances provoke higher blood pressure level, as well as decrease the flow of blood to the heart. What you can consciously do to reduce stress level is to avoid such situations if possible, and/or take up yoga, exercises in breathing, meditation and such. These measures will aid you in fighting anxiety and reducing the harmful repercussions, such as high cholesterol.

Foods to take and foods to avoid

Among the foods that could contribute to increasing your blood pressure and cholesterol are eggs (egg yolks, to be more precise), whole milk and whole milk products and red meat. It is preferable that you replace these with skimmed milk, white meat and egg whites. On the contrary, there are foods that can help you avoid or decrease high blood pressure and high cholesterol. For example, you can turn to omega-3 fatty acids which are known for their trait to increase HDL and lower LDL, and those acids are to be found in fish, flax seed oil and dried fruits such as almonds. Also, oat bran is an excellent choice, since, its soluble fibers are known to soak in and decrease the level of cholesterol.