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Some foods do contain cholesterol but our body can also make it if we over eat and do not exercise! So simply avoiding high cholesterol foods won’t help; we also need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Cholesterol is not all that bad as it is a sterol which has a few uses in our body:

It is a precursor to 7-dehydro-cholecalciferol, which is vitamin D and therefore, indirectly involved in calcium absorption and bone formation.

It is necessary for the synthesis of some important hormones- testosterone (male hormone), oestrogen and progesterone (female hormones), cortisol (stress hormone) and aldosterone (it regulates body fluids).

It helps in fat digestion as it helps in the synthesis of bile salts which breakdown fat.

It is needed for the stability of cell membranes.
On the other hand, high serum levels of cholesterol and LDL can complicate health through heart problems, heart attacks and stroke.
Making lifestyle changes along with eating right can straighten out these issues!

Things to avoid:

1.Smoking
2.Drinking
3.Ready-to eat processed foods
4.Chocolates
5.Cakes, cookies and other bakery products in which shortening is used.
6.Fast foods, fries, burgers, chips
7.Fried/red meat, poultry especially the skin.
8.High fat dairy products.
9.Refined flour and things made with it.
10.High sugar foods.
11.Butter, vanaspati, hydrogenated fat, saturated fats.
12.Aerated drinks.

Stuff you can and should eat:
1.Fresh fruits and vegetables.
2.Whole grains like whole wheat, hand-polished rice, bajra, ragi etc.
3.Omega-3 rich foods like fatty fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds.
4.Green leafy vegies.
5.Balance between the oils –olive, mustard, til, groundnut, sunflower. Buy filtered less processed or cold pressed oils.
Most important is to exercise-- it is the best medium to not just loose excess body fat. It keeps you fit to fight many diseases at bay.
Some myths:

Foods labelled ‘zero cholesterol’ are can be consumed freely.
Most of these foods are high in saturated fats which directly related to increase in blood cholesterol levels. So be careful of these mislabelled foods.

If you are on medication, you don’t need to worry about the food you eat or the exercise part!
Most drugs which control cholesterol have more side effects than benefits. Besides, nothing helps our body than exercise and eating wisely.

If you do not eat foods which contain cholesterol, like eggs and red meat, your issue is solved.
Far from it actually, as mentioned, our body can actually synthesise cholesterol. And high intake of some unwanted nutrients can increase the production of it.

You should consume a zero fat diet.
This is not entirely necessary if we can understand the good and the bad fats and also how much to eat. Any nutrient is not bad if consumed in moderation.
 

Tags : Women, heart, cholestrol, ways