Lifestyle News Desk, these days people are facing many types of health problems due to wrong habits. One of these problems is cholesterol. Cholesterol is of two types. One is good and the other is bad. Bad cholesterol causes heart related problems. Actually, when the level of bad cholesterol increases in the body, it gets deposited in the veins and can block the arteries. Due to this, the risk of serious diseases like stroke and heart attack increases. In such a situation, it is very important to control its level. To reduce it, you can take some simple steps. See, what are those 5 steps-
1) Increase the amount of fiber in your diet
Include fiber in your diet. For fiber, eat barley, bran, whole wheat flour and flax seeds and nuts like almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds. Apart from this, include more soluble fiber in the diet like beans, Brussels sprouts, oatmeal, apples and pears. This can help in reducing the absorption of cholesterol in the bloodstream.
2) Quit smoking
Quitting smoking will improve your HDL cholesterol level. People who smoke are at risk for heart attack, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other problems.
3) Lose weight
If you are overweight, lose the extra kilos. Doing so can affect your cholesterol level. Extra weight can also increase the risk of metabolic syndrome.
4_ Protein and omega-3 are beneficial
To reduce cholesterol levels, choose foods rich in lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Choose proteins containing omega-3 fatty acids and nuts such as walnuts, almonds and macadamias.
5) Eat healthy fats
Limit your intake of fats found in dairy products, butter, coconut oil and pre-packaged cookies, crackers and cakes. Reports say that canola, corn or olive oil is better.