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Dealing with lifestyle changes after being diagnosed with high cholesterol:

Cholesterol is basically a waxy type of fat present in your body; stored in liver, gall bladder and fat cells (adipocytes). Cholesterol is thought to be “the bad guy” in our “health story”. But here’s the truth; cholesterol is of two types: Good and bad.

Your HDL (good cholesterol) should be higher than 60mg/dL and LDL (bad cholesterol) should be less than 100mg/dL and the total cholesterol should be less than 200mg/dL. So, the problem arises when you have too much LDL in your body and too little of HDL cholesterol and that is what we call “high cholesterol”. A number of factors that lead to an increased cholesterol are;

• Age
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity
• Chronic diseases,
• Poor dietary habits
• Smoking

When the doctor asks you to improve your cholesterol, he actually wants you to take measures to decrease your LDL levels and increase HDL. Of course, medicines can do that for you but the best way is to eradicate the problem from roots. Once you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, here’s what you should do other than take medications:

Start exercising: I can’t emphasise this enough. Exercising 150 minutes/week is so important. It helps to excrete more LDL out of your body.

Lose some weight in a healthy way: Cholesterol is stored in fat cells, losing even 10 pounds of fat causes a prominent decrease.

Reduce the consumption of processed and refined foods: Try to eat them in moderation if you really want to, like thrice a month or less.

Consume a fiber rich diet: Take two to three servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Use whole wheat flour for chapati. Eat your fruits rather than drinking them.

Balance the 4:1 ratio for Omega-3 and Omega-6: Try consuming more heart healthy fish and nuts and avoid processed vegetable oils.

Eat eggs: Eggs have a bad reputation among people with high cholesterol. But the fact is that though they are rich in cholesterol but that’s mostly “good cholesterol.”

Quit smoking.

Bake, grill, sauté or steam your food instead of deep frying. Use desi ghee or coconut oil.

Choose lean cuts while selecting the type of meat you’re going to eat.

Increase your NEAT: NEAT is defined as “Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis”; it is the energy we spend while doing routine chores. So, increasing your NEAT helps you stay active throughout the day.

Please, don’t wait to be sick to become healthy. Implement these steps in your daily life. Take one step at a time. Take care of your loved ones and yourself as well because YOU MATTER!

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