What Will Help to Clear Your Arteries?

Eating foods that promote healthy cholesterol levels (HDL) and those that decrease harmful cholesterol (LDL) levels help to clear the arteries. However, you not only need to know how diet can affect artery health, you need to know about other lifestyle changes.

Eat Heart Healthy Foods

Eat plenty of fiber-rich foods throughout the day. Foods high in soluble fiber, such as whole grains, will help to clear the arteries. Soluble fiber removes the plaque from the arterial walls. Enjoy whole grain breads, cereals, pastas and crackers (made without partially hydrogenated oils and/or shortening). Enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are known for being high in antioxidants and fiber. These heart healthy foods can also help to clear your arteries.

Eat foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3, according to the Mayo Clinic, will help keep your arteries elastic and clean. Foods high in Omega-3 are natural blood thinners. Eat salmon cooked with fresh herbs. Snack on sardines and whole grain crackers. Have a sandwich of albacore tuna. Other fish to enjoy include herring, mackerel and trout.

Be Careful of Trans Fats

Watch out for foods containing trans fats. Trans fats are hardened at room temperature and are found in partially hydrogenated oil and shortening. Experts at the Mayo Clinic state that trans fats serve a double whammy since they increase LDL level and decrease HDL level. Common foods containing trans fats are commercially prepared baked goods, energy bars and deep fried foods states the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Heart Association.

Get Physical Activity

Burn more calories. Exercise lowers harmful cholesterol and raises good cholesterol. This helps in clearing your arteries. According to the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic, you need to get at least 30 minutes of moderately brisk exercise at least five days per week. The 30 minutes can be divided into 10-minute increments. Moderately brisk exercise includes cardiovascular activities that get your heart pumping to work up a sweat. They do not have to be intense.

Beneficial activities include walking during your lunch time, hiking a park trail, swimming laps, bicycling (indoor and outdoor), all sorts of dancing, racquet sports such as tennis and rowing. Join a water aerobics class. Do sit-ups while watching television. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Household activities, such as mowing the lawn, rearranging furniture and house painting, can be included in this category.

Stop Using Tobacco

Quit smoking. According to the American Heart Association, smoking can increase plaque forming on the arterial walls. By quitting, you will help increase your HDL cholesterol level. Not smoking will also lead to a lower blood pressure, which can be an indicator of heart disease. Your risk of heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic, is cut in half within one year after quitting your tobacco habit. Within 15 years after quitting, your risk of heart disease is the same as someone who has never smoked.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Lose weight if you are overweight. Carrying around excess weight leads to high LDL levels, states the Mayo Clinic. You can lower your harmful cholesterol level by losing as little as five to 10 lbs. Lose weight by eating smaller food portions, eating heart healthy foods, eating only when you are hungry and exercising more. Slowly make changes in order to stay with them on a daily basis. Commit yourself to a weight loss program if you are overweight.