Having a high cholesterol level myself makes me read everything about cholesterol. What upset me is that my medical check up showed I have higher cholesterol compared to last year. So sad that after coming home, after having my lunch I fall asleep for nearly 3 - 4 hours. One thing general hospital is very good, is that as it is not in business for profits, they discourage people from taking medicine for lowering cholesterol. The reasons are in the long term these medicine may have side effects in damaging one's kidney and liver.
Hypercholesterolaemia or increase in cholesterol is mainly a digestive problem caused by rich foods such as fried food, excessive consumption of milk and its products like ghee, butter, and cream, white flour, sugar, cakes, pastries, biscuits, cheese, ice-cream as well as meat, fish and eggs. Other causes of increase in cholesterol are irregularity in habits, smoking and drinking alcohol.
Stress has been found to be a major cause of increased level of cholesterol. Adrenaline and cortison are both released in the body under stress. This, in turn, produces a fat metabolising reaction. Adrenal glands of executive type aggressive persons produce more adrenaline than the easy going men. Consequently they suffer six to eight times more heart attack than the relaxed men.
The Cure
This can be achieved by improving the diet and changing the life style. Foods rich in cholesterol and saturated fats, which lead to increase in low density one (LDL) level, should be reduced to the minimum. Cholesterol-rich foods are eggs, organ meats and most cheese. Butter, bacon, beef, whole milk, virtually all food of animal origin as well as two vegetable oils, namely coconut and palm, are high in saturated fasts and these should be replaced by polysaturated fats such as corn, sunflower, soyabeans and sesame oil which tend to lower the level of LDL. There are monosaturated fats such as olive and peanuts oils which have more or less neutral effect on the LDL level.
The amount of fibre in the diet also influences the cholesterol levels and LDL can be lowered by taking diets rich in fibres. The most significant sources of dietary fibre are unprocessed wheat bran, whole cereals such as wheat, rice, barley, rye legumes such as potato, carrot, beet and turnips; fruits like mango and guava and green vegetables such as cabbage, lady's finger, lettuce and celery. Oat bran is especially beneficial in lowering LDL cholesterol.
Lecithin, also a fatty food substance and the most abundant of the phospholipids, is highly beneficial in case of increase in cholesterol level. It has the ability to break up cholesterol into small particles which can be easily handled by the system. With sufficient intake of lecithin, cholesterol cannot build up against the walls of the arteries and veins. It also increases the production of bile acids made from cholesterol, thereby reducing its amount in the blood. Egg yolk, vegetables oils, whole grain cereals, soyabeans and unpasteurised milk are rich sources of lecithin. The cells of the body are also capable of synthesizing it as needed, if several of the B vitamins are present.
Person with high blood cholesterol levels should drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water everyday as regular drinking of water stimulates the excretory activity of the skin and kidneys. This in turns facilitates elimination of excessive cholesterol from the system, Regular drinking of coriander water also helps lower blood cholesterol as it is a good diuretic and stimulates the kidneys. It is prepared by boiling dry seeds of coriander and straining the decoction after cooling.
Regular exercise also plays an important role in lowering the LDL cholesterol and in raising the level of protective HDL (high density one). Jogging, brisk walking, swimming, bicycling and playing badminton are excellent forms of exercise.
Sources : Nature Cure by H K Bakhru, India
No comments:
Post a Comment