Cholesterol is a big bad word in the medical dictionary. It can shoot up your blood pressure, add to your weight troubles, reduce the blood flow in the body and at the same time, lead to complications like chest pain, stomach aches, form gallstones in the digestive tract and even lead to heart trouble. While not all cholesterol is bad (certain cholesterol helps in the production of essential fat and even regulating weight loss), cutting out bad cholesterol from your body is absolutely important. LDL or Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol is the worst offender, which deposits in the arteries and forms often thick, waxy deposits, clogging up the blood supply. While cholesterol is naturally produced in the body by our liver, the foods we eat add up to its quantity and increase the number of bad cholesterol (LDL) over good cholesterol (HDL). Hence, it is crucial that you keep your cholesterol in check at all ages. While there are certain lifestyle changes you need to make overall to lead a longer, healthier life, adopting certain hacks in your everyday routine can keep your health in check and prevent damage. What’s best is that these hacks take 5 minutes or less to work.
Below are the 4 hacks you need to follow to live a healthier life:
1. Before you pick a product, check the labels on it.
A very simple habit to prioritize your health is to always, without fail, check the label on the back of the products at the grocery store before you bill them. The most hazardous ingredients might be hiding behind the everyday products you use. For example, make sure to check the trans-fat content on a product, which contains excessive levels of LDL than any other eatable. If you find a trace of hydrogenated oils on a product (like chips, processed foods, biscuits), think twice before buying. It might be adding to your heart problems if you do so.
2. Simply drink more water
Keeping hydrated through the day has more benefits than you can imagine. A study conducted in Loma Linda University, America found out that increasing your water intake, or simply drinking more than 5 glasses a day or going for regular detoxes flushes out bad cholesterol and toxins from the body.
It also lowers the risk of developing a heart disease by 50-60%, which is the same drop which one can achieve after losing weight or simply saying no to tobacco consumption
3. Munch on some nuts
Nuts are not just the healthiest weight loss companion, they can also help you cut down on the bad LDL levels in the body. According to a recent Harvard study, eating a handful of nuts everyday reverses the damage done by consuming a handful of chips or fried snacks and acts down on the triglyceride levels in the body. Apart from nuts and seeds, consuming more fiber-based products like raw oats, cereal or bran, or grabbing something like grapefruit or pomegranate are also healthy options to snack on!
4. Get moving!
It is never too late to get a little more movement into your life. It also regulates your cholesterol levels and help you one step further in keeping your heart young. Experts believe that including short intervals of walking exercises stretched over long periods can do wonders to your body.