As we have pointed out in our article "All About Cholesterol", we have learned what cholesterol is, its functions in the body and where we can get it. We have also discussed the devastating conditions that occur as an effect if there is an excess accumulation of bad cholesterol in your body (if you have not read it, you can find it here). So it is important that you take the management of your cholesterol levels seriously. Management of cholesterol levels is easy once you put your heart to it.

Why Should I manage my Cholesterol level?

Cholesterol, although helpful, becomes dangerous and hazardous once it reaches excessive amounts in the body. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world. Cerebrovascular disease, another cholesterol-related condition, ranks third. These alone, should be enough to drive you to manage your blood cholesterol levels.

But, before proceeding to manage the cholesterol on your body, it is important to know what the total blood cholesterol level considered to be dangerous for your body, increasing the risks of acquiring heart disease and other complications. This will be helpful to understand and know which course of action you are going to take in managing your blood cholesterol levels.

What are the Healthy, Borderline and Dangerous Levels of Cholesterol?

If your total blood cholesterol level is around 200 mg/dL or below, you are considered to be in a healthy level or you have a desirable total blood cholesterol level. The risks of having heart attack and acquiring other dangerous diseases is relatively low.

If you have a total blood cholesterol level between 200 and 239 mg/dL you are considered to be in Borderline-High Risk Level. You have a higher risk of acquiring heart disease and other complications compared with those whose total blood cholesterol belong to the desirable levels.

If you have a total blood cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL or more, you are considered to belong in the Dangerous or High-Risk level. The chances of acquiring heart disease and other complications is very high.

How can I manage my blood cholesterol levels?

The good news is there are a variety of ways by which you can manage your blood cholesterol levels. Having a healthy lifestyle is by far the best way to manage your blood cholesterol levels into a healthy level. The most common ways of managing blood cholesterol is through exercise, proper diet and medication.

Proper Diet

More than anything else, what you eat directly affects the rate of blood cholesterol in the body.

The equation is simple, the more food you eat that contain high-fat and high-cholesterol the higher your blood cholesterol levels will be, the less you eat these types of foods, the lesser your blood cholesterol level will be.

The food you must not eat are food that contain high amount of saturated fat. Saturated fat boosts your cholesterol level more than any other substance from the food you eat.

Animal Food products like meat, chicken, whole-milk dairy products, lard as well as coconut oil and palm oil contain high amounts of saturated fat in them. Avoid eating these foods as much as you can. But if it is not possible to get them out of your diet, you can at least reduce your intake to at most once a week. You can replace them with other plant-based foods which are low in saturated fat and cholesterol

Aside from that, you should eat more food which contains high starch and fibre . Starch is a good substitute for protein and fat in giving us energy in our daily activities. Fibres, on the other hand, make us eat less and help us clean up our digestive system of excess fat and cholesterol from food. Vegetables, fruits, grain products like oats, barley, peas and beans are food rich in fiber and starch. We should eat more plant-based food products rich in starch & fibre compared with animal-based food products which are high in fat and cholesterol.

Exercise

They often say that you have to exercise to lose weight. In the same manner, exercise or any physical activity also has a direct effect on your cholesterol levels. It is known that exercise increases HDL or the good kind of cholesterol while lowering the LDL or the bad kind of cholesterol.

Reducing cholesterol level through exercise is good for reducing the risk of heart disease. The condition of your muscles, including that of your heart and your blood vessels, also improves through physical activity. Aside from that, exercise and physical activity help lower your blood pressure, stress and improve overall fitness.