If you want to lower your cholesterol levels and are also having problems with high blood pressure, a healthy lifestyle can take care of both conditions. There are certain foods you can eat and simple changes you can make to bring your cholesterol count and your blood pressure down to healthy levels. The same dietary and exercise practices can handle both problems at the same time.
Step 1
Eat lots of dietary fiber. Oatmeal and oat bran contain healthy soluble fiber that reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad, cholesterol. Soluble fiber has the ability to absorb cholesterol in the intestines. It is also found in apples, pears, prunes, kidney beans and barley. Dietary fiber has also been found to lower blood pressure, according to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Whole grains and fruits contain insoluble fiber, which may be even better at lowering blood pressure. Consume foods that are low in saturated fats and eat plenty of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol level.
Step 2
Munch on walnuts and almonds for snacks or along with meals. Walnuts and almonds, as well as a variety of other nuts, contain healthy polyunsaturated fats that clear blood vessels and fight cholesterol. They also play a factor in lowering blood pressure. But a handful of nuts is enough because nuts can be high in calories, advises the Mayo Clinic.
Step 3
Put fish with omega-3 fatty acids on your plate. These fatty acids help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Leading nutritionist Dr. Andrew Weil recommends at least three servings of omega-3-rich fish a week to lower blood pressure. Omega-3 fatty acids are in mackerel, salmon, herring, lake trout, albacore tuna and sardines. The American Heart Association recommends eating seafood at least twice a week and reducing meat in your meals.
Step 4
Use garlic and olive oil in your food. This dynamic duo is praised for health benefits. It is a one-two punch against blood pressure and cholesterol. Garlic may help relax the blood vessels to lower blood pressure. Olive oil lowers LDL cholesterol while leaving high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good, cholesterol alone. LDL clogs the arteries, but HDL helps push bad cholesterol out of the body's system.
Step 5
Exercise 30 minutes on most days of the week to lower LDL cholesterol and raise good HDL levels, the National Institutes of Health advises. Losing weight if you are overweight will lower LDL cholesterol levels and your blood pressure.
Step 6
Quit smoking or don't start. Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol, allowing LDL cholesterol to flourish. It is one of the six major risk factors for heart disease. The nicotine in tobacco products causes the blood vessels to constrict and the heart to beat faster, resulting in an increase in blood pressure.
