Julia Child said, "people who love to eat are always the best people". But what, if you're unaware about, How to eat and what to eat? Probably most people don't even think about it! They just eat whatever they like or whatever is presented in front of them without being aware of the consequences. Which ultimately leads to life-threatening problems. One of them is 'High Cholesterol'.
Cholesterol is a fat-like, waxy substance that's found in every cell of the body, and plays an important role in many bodily functions, such as making hormones, vitamin D, cell repair, it is required for your memory and neurological health. It travels through your bloodstream in small packets called lipoproteins, which are made of fat on the inside and proteins on the outside. Two types of cholesterol are:
LDL cholesterol, (Bad Cholesterol).
HDL cholesterol, (Good Cholesterol).
Simply, if the blood contains too much LDL, it's considered to be high cholesterol. Large LDL particles do not cause a problem to the heart but small particles of LDL can cause a potential problem to the heart. You can have high levels of total cholesterol but if your HDL is good, you do not require treatment even if your LDL is on the higher side. In most cases, high cholesterol typically doesn't cause any symptoms. Many people don't even know how that, they have high cholesterol until they develop serious complications such as heart attack, stroke, or dementia-like problems. Risk factors for them are poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, age, diabetes, etc.
As we heard this many times and this is the wholesome truth that, "prevention is better than cure" - Desiderius Erasmus. We can consume cholesterol only by ingestion. So let's have a look at what should we eat and what shouldn't, to maintain a healthy boundary for your cholesterol level. Limiting the following food can help you do this:
Cut off sugar.
Saturated vegetable oils such as coconut oil, palm kernel oil.
Poultry with skin.
Solidified vegetable oils such as fried food, baked goods, and packaged foods often contain trans fat.
Limit butter.
Add the following superfoods to your diet
Legumes.
Fruits and berries.
Nuts, especially almonds and walnuts.
Fatty fish.
Whole grains, especially oats and barley.
Dark chocolate and cocoa.
Garlic, soy food, green tea.
Note: If you have risk factors for heart disease, your cholesterol intake should not be more than 0.2 grams a day. If you do not have risk factors for heart disease, you should limit your cholesterol intake to no more than 0.3 grams a day.
Along with food, exercise plays a "must doing" role in lowering cholesterol. Exercise helps increase levels of HDL researchers reported on this in 'lipids in health and disease'. The 'American Heart Association' (AHA) advises people to aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week to lower LDL.
Go for a nice run or a jog.
Do kapalbhati pranayam, this yoga exercise involves the use of powerful breathing to help balance the dispel toxins and increases the metabolic rate to reduce weight. Along with this chakrasana and sarvangasana goes best!.
Resistance training, such as pushups, stomach crunches, weightlifting, squats.
Organized sports and other activities like swimming, team sports, etc.
Keep yourself active. 30 minutes of continuous sitting, Lower your metabolic rate by 80-90%, and 2 hours without a movement lowers good cholesterol by 20%.
To get better results, set a routine with a suitable diet and exercise.
The "American Heart Association" recommends that adults have their cholesterol checked every 4 to 6 years, from at the age of 20, which is when cholesterol levels can start to rise. As we age, cholesterol levels start to climb. A lipid panel or lipid profile test check your blood cholesterol and triglycerides level. Men generally have higher risk factors than women for higher cholesterol. However, a woman's risk goes high after she enters menopause.
For those with high cholesterol and other cardiac-related risk factors, such as diabetes, more frequent testing is recommended.
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