Does your elderly loved one have high cholesterol levels? If so, this could increase their chances of having further heart health issues including a stroke or a heart attack. Before that happens, there are some things you can do to help your elderly loved one lower their cholesterol levels.

Eating More Vegetables and Fruits

If your elderly loved one isn’t already doing so, you and their elderly care providers should try to get them to eat more vegetables and fruits. These foods have low saturated fat levels. This means that they will help to reduce your loved one’s LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Some of the foods that are great for this purpose include broccoli, prunes, apples, strawberries, and sweet potatoes.

Reduce or Get Rid of Saturated and Trans Fats

To help lower your elderly loved one’s cholesterol levels, you should make sure they are eating very limited or no saturated and trans fats. Research shows that many food manufacturers will add these types of fats to the food to make them last longer on the shelf. To reduce your elderly loved one’s intake of these types of fats make sure they aren’t eating many animal-based products or junk food. They can have some kinds of butter, eggs, meats, and cheese. Just make sure these are only in moderation.

Eat the Good Fats

There are some good types of fats including monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These types of fats will actually help to reduce your elderly loved one’s LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. You can find these fats in avocados, nuts, soybeans, seeds, and fish. In addition, peanut, safflower, canola, grapeseed, olive, or sunflower oil should be used when making your elderly loved one’s food.

Eating More Whole Grains

Whole grains are much better for your elderly loved one. Foods such as white rice and refined flour bread are unhealthy, especially when eating them all the time. However, whole grains such as wild rice and whole-wheat bread can help to lower cholesterol levels.

Keeping Active

In addition to diet changes, your elderly loved one should keep active. If they can get a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity every day, this can greatly reduce their cholesterol levels.

If your elderly loved one has been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels, it is important to help them make the necessary lifestyle changes to reduce these levels right away. The above-mentioned tips are a great start.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care Services in Voorhees, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. 1-800-493-5660

Sources
Health.harvard.edu
Medlineplus.gov
Nhlbi.nih.gov