High cholesterol levels are often linked with heart disease. Lowering of bad cholesterol (LDL) and raising good cholesterol (HDL) is a preventive measure for heart disease. However, the risk of heart disease due to high bad cholesterol levels is something that one can control.
Statins are prescriptive medications that doctors recommend for lowering cholesterol levels. Like any other medication, statins are associated with side effects and risk factors. Those who suffer side effects of statin can go for cholesterol absorption inhibitors as an alternative. Can we lower cholesterol without statins? Well, yes as there are a number of natural methods that help in lowering cholesterol without statins.
Risks and side effects of statin
Although many benefits from using statins to lower cholesterol, these medicines have side effects. The side effects of this medication are more pronounced in people taking medications for treating other medical conditions. Common side effects of consuming statins are:
- Muscle and joint aches
- Vomiting and nausea
- Increase in blood sugar levels
- Permanent muscle damage
- Neurological damage
Natural methods to lower cholesterol
A healthy diet, regular physical workout, and weight management help lower cholesterol without statins. Here are a few tips to lower cholesterol naturally:
- Cut out saturated fats from your diet. Foods such as butter, red meat, hydrogenated fats, baked goods, and fried foods are high in trans fat or saturated fats. These foods tend to increase LDL and lower HDL. Stay away from these foods and include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, trout, dry fruits, etc.
- Include fiber-rich food in your diet. Foods like oats, barley, fruits and vegetables, and beans are rich in soluble fiber. Such natural foods rich in soluble fiber help lower cholesterol without statins. Also, protein-rich plant food is nutritious, healthy alternative to red meat.
- Weight management helps lower cholesterol levels. Losing excess body weight is a natural way to lower cholesterol and also prevent other illnesses.
- Regular physical workout not only lowers LDL, but raises HDL levels as well. Exercising at the gym, aerobic exercises, walking, jogging, and yoga are ways to get a good physical workout.
- Plant sterol supplements are known to lower LDL levels.
Go natural! Lower cholesterol without statins by following natural methods discussed in this article. Apart from lowering cholesterol these dietary and lifestyle changes help lead an active and disease free life.
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Beef on a budget, the benefits of slow cooking
Read moreSlow cooking is a technique where the recipe calls for all the ingredients to be cooked for a longer duration. This ensures maximum flavor retention and is particularly effective for those cuts of meat, which are otherwise cooked in an oven or roasted on a grill. This technique mainly uses a liquid base, normally chicken stock and vegetable broth to tenderize the meat and make the flavors stand out. Slow cooking requires minimal supervision and reduces the risk of burning your ingredients. The main advantage is that the slow braise allows the flavors to develop over time.
Here are a few different recipes to make slow cooker pot roast on a tight budget.
Crockpot roast beef: The crock pot, an essential tool for creating some of the best slow cooker recipes also alternatively known as Crockpot recipes. Ingredients featured in this dish is the 2lb chuck roast beef cut, ideal for a slow braise. The liquid base can be chicken stock or also can be alternatively prepared using a beef bouillon cube mixed in hot water. Vegetables like carrots, potatoes, onions absorb the liquid over the time of cooking and compliment the beef cut well. Garlic and other seasoning to top off the dish which can easily serve for a family of 4-6 members. The cost of all the ingredients combined will not go over $5 total.
Roasted chicken with garlic: Chicken is an all-time favorite. It is inexpensive, easy to prepare and does not require a lot of effort. This recipe does not call for more than three main ingredients to serve a wholesome family meal. Slow cooked in a chicken broth, with butter and minced garlic, seasoned with paprika, salt and pepper to be slowly cooked for 8 hours.
Vegetarian lasagna: Slow cooker recipes are not necessarily reserved for the meat eaters only. There are many vegetarian recipes which can also be prepared. The lasagna is a versatile dish, which combines veggies in between layers of pasta and slow cooked to retain maximum flavor. Veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, and many others chopped or diced complement the pasta well. Finally topped with delicious mozzarella cheese, this recipe can be prepared in a budget and is a pretty decent alternative to the oven baked lasagna.
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Types of bathtub doors to choose from
Read moreEvery home has its own charm and every small detail when customised can enhance that appeal to a great extent. Even for a very personal place in the home like a bathroom, a person prefers the place to be a nice looking one. A suitable bathtub door can entirely change the aura of the place and can make it look very charming. There is quite a variety to choose from when it comes to bathtub doors. One may install a very modern and nice-looking door for their bathtub while renovating their home and it can totally change the look of the bathtub area.
Bypass shower doors are one of the very good-looking doors which also require very less area. These shower doors consist of two sliding glass panels. Even though these couple of glass panels suffice the work of shower doors, some fixed panels can be attached. These doors are very similar to patio doors. They look elegant and also function very well, making them an excellent choice for shower doors. Then there are hinged doors and even though the outlook is very much like the bypass shower doors, they require a little more space than the former. This is because they require swinging in one direction to open. The door which swings is attached to a fixed glass panel. These shower doors too are not a bad choice at all. However, there should be enough space in your bathroom in order to install hinged shower doors. Pivot doors are another type of shower doors used in very modern bathtubs. In these shower doors, the swinging glass can swing in either direction. This very feature gives it a classy look. The swinging glass can be installed either at the edge of the door or the center. These shower doors add a pleasant and luxurious aura to the bathtub area. Bath screen doors are very suitable when one wants to make efficient use of the space. One glass panel is fixed while the other two are folded on hinges. Just like bi-fold closets, they also require minimal space. Neo-angle doors are again, very efficient in space saving. Here, two side doors stand at 90 degrees to the walls and the main door is at the center. The door opens creating a neo angle and thus, saves a lot of space. Steam doors, as the name suggests, are air-tight doors. Here, the glass panels are air tight from floor to ceiling. These doors are used when that area is also to be used as a steam room.
The choice of shower doors must be made taking into consideration space, looks and any specific requirement if any.