The word CHOLESTEROL generally rings a warning bell among a lot of people since high cholesterol is normally associated with heart diseases. But a lot of people are unaware that cholesterol is an important component of the cells in our body. It plays an important role in body's metabolism and helps in synthesizing certain hormones. However blood cholesterol in higher levels can lead to several complications. Cholesterol in blood comes from two sources - one that is naturally produced by the body and that which is added from the diet.
Liver synthesizes up to 2g of cholesterol per day. Cholesterol is carried through blood by a combination of cholesterol and protein called as lipoprotein. Usually identified by many as good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). Low density lipoprotein or LDL carries cholesterol to different parts of the body. LDL gets deposited in the walls of the arteries leading to plaque formation. Whereas HDL removes cholesterol from the blood and helps to prevent blockages in the arteries. Thus it is ideal to have HDL levels more than 40mg/dl where as LDL levels should be less than 130mg/dl.
Increase in blood cholesterol can be due to a number of reasons such as genetics, gender, age, metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes, lifestyle factors like stress or inactivity and dietary habits. Cholesterol levels can increase by following faulty dietary habits such as:
By consuming cholesterol rich food which is present only in animal products such as red meat, egg yolk, full fat dairy products, butter, lard, shrimp and so on.
Plant food like cereals, vegetables or fruits does not have cholesterol. However consuming food rich in fat such as hydrogenated vegetable oil like dalda or vanaspati and saturated fat such as coconut/palm oil used in the preparation of cookies, snacks like chips or certain bakery items can also increase the blood cholesterol especially the LDL levels.
Tips to reduce blood cholesterol:
Include more of whole grain cereals like whole wheat chapathis, brown bread, oats/ragi porridge, soya chunks/flakes as they are good source of soluble fiber.
Have more of vegetables and fresh fruits as they are good source of fiber and antioxidants which prevent oxidation of cell and protects from heart disease. Fresh seasonal fruits are best option for snacks rather than any fried food items.
Include more of unsaturated fat such as olive oil than coconut oil for cooking or in salad dressing.
Fish are good source of omega-3 fatty acids and can be included. However fish in the form of baked, grilled, steamed or shallow fried are much better than deep fried ones.
Nuts such as Walnuts have been known to reduce LDL levels but they need to be taken in moderation.
Choose more of skimmed milk and milk products and reduce the intake of sweets or other bakery items.
Be more active. Try to include at least 30min of exercise everyday either brisk walking or yoga or any other form of exercise or sports.
Try to get into the ideal body weight range, reduce weight if you are obese.
Stop smoking as it hardens the arteries and increases the risk of heart attack.
Diet and exercise plays a very important role in reducing cholesterol. Apart from that it is also necessary to reduce stress. Try to strike a balance between work and home and have a positive outlook towards life.
Rohini Shirahatti is a Domain Specialist for Diet Care at Yos Technologies.
For getting a personalized diet plan which is easy to follow, convenient, goal-oriented, flexible, very close to your current diet, etc. and to chat with a dietitian online visit [yoscare.in/dietcare]
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