Fighting Cholesterol

My husband had a regular check-up sometime back and to my shock, it turned out that he had a high cholesterol value! From then on it has been something of a great concern to me. Him? Well, he isn’t much of a worrying type…Anyway, people started scaring me with their experiences and advising me on diet, exercise, medicines and what not! So, I have been doing some research on this and these are some useful points that I came across:

My first search was to know what this cholesterol was…
Cholesterol is fat that cannot dissolve in blood and is produced by the liver and also synthesized from the food. It is an essential component for the normal functioning of the body- when it is within a specific range. When the cholesterol level goes beyond a certain level it gets deposited in the blood vessels thus narrowing the passage and disrupting the normal circulation of blood. And in turn it could lead to serious health problems such as hypertension, stroke, heart diseases etc.

When we carry out a lipid profile test for checking cholesterol level, the results will usually have four values: Total cholesterol, HDL (High Density Lipoprotein), LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), VLDL (Very Low Density Lipoprotein) and Triglycerides.

The good and the bad
Now, it seems all cholesterols are not bad. HDL which is otherwise referred to as ‘good cholesterol’ actually protects the heart and reduces the chances of diseases related to cholesterol.

The function of LDL or ‘bad cholesterol’ is to supply cholesterol to the cells in the body. When the LDL value is high the chances of cholesterol deposits in the blood vessels are high. So high value of LDL is a definite no-no!

VLDL contains very low levels of LDL and is the first product synthesized by the liver. In the long run, VLDL changes to LDL. Triglycerides is the most common type of fat in the blood and its increased values could be because of obesity, hypothyroidism, diabetes etc. The Total cholesterol indicates the total amount of cholesterol that your blood contains.

The values
The recommended values of cholesterol are as follows:
Total Cholesterol: Below 200 mg/dl
LDL: Below 100 mg/dl
HDL: Above 60 mg/dl is great!
Triglycerides: Below 150 mg/dl

Now the most important question
High cholesterol is usually caused by increased intake of fatty food, lack of exercise and even heredity. So what can one do to keep cholesterol levels in check? The first thing was of course to consult a doctor. He advised that a lifestyle change, regular exercise and keeping stress under control itself could lower cholesterol. Yes, and there were medications available as well. Regular check-up was also essential.

Here are 15 steps that my husband is going to try out:

1. Avoid red meat (beef, pork mutton etc.), eggs and shellfish. (OK)
2. Eating fish like sardines and mackerel is okay since it contains less amount of saturated fat (He likes fish :-))
3. Avoid dairy products.
4. Home-made food is good. Fast-food is out! Sigh! 
5. Fried items are not recommended (Goodbye fries, chips, fried chicken, fish fry…)
6. Leafy vegetables, fruits, fresh salad are all to be included in everyday diet (Hmm Vegetarian recipes…)
7. Drinking water boiled with coriander seeds can lower cholesterol.
8. Curry leaves have also been proven to be very good for cholesterol (From now on no curries without curry leaves!) Mushrooms are also in.
9. Other food items that could reduce cholesterol include garlic, ginger, onion, soybeans, gooseberry, lemon, orange, Urud daal, spinach etc.
10. Tea- Yes, tea can reduce cholesterol and is a perfect health drink. It is rich in antioxidants which can prevent cancer, improve immunity, lower the risk of heart diseases and ovarian cancer and so on. (No problem there. We drink lots of tea. Recently tried green tea- loved it :-)) 
11. Reduce intake of salt and sugar.
12. Exercise regularly. Jog, walk, swim, skip, play tennis…
13. Yoga and meditation- Practicing Yoga poses can improve flexibility and blood circulation. Meditation can simmer down stress levels dramatically. (You know, IT jobs and stress are best friends forever! Hope he tries out Yoga)
14. Obesity, alcoholism, smoking- Not Good.
15. Eat food on time, maintain a healthy weight, relax…

So, that is it. We are on a mission and hope it works our all right. If you have anything to add to my list, you are welcome to do so…Thanks for reading :-)