With the changing world, our habits have also transformed. All the natural goodness present around us has been willingly replaced by technological shifts like even the air we breathe, is mechanized. We are deliberately purifying everything from air to water, but what’s necessarily immediate i.e. the heart health is still ignored. The health of our heart is directly connected to the ratio of cholesterol present in our body. An overrun of emotions over logic directly forces us to eat junk, which further disrupts our body’s natural ongoing detox process and consequently damages the internal backup i.e. cholesterol balance. Here’s a brief on why cholesterol is a strong decisive factor in our heart health and how we should manage and monitor it:
What is Good and Bad Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance present in our blood, that is required to nurture the growth of healthy cells, but a high level of cholesterol present in our system can increasingly damage the heart and further lead to more chronic complications. Cholesterol present on the higher side can develop fatty deposits in the blood vessels, which can further, clog the arteries and escalate the probability of heart attack and other relative heat diseases. When the fatty deposits break free all of a sudden, they form a blood clot and consequently cause a heart stroke.
Although, high cholesterol is an outcome of an unhealthy lifestyle, but it is 20% of the time inherited as well, which is both preventable and treatable. It should be noted that balanced cholesterol in our body, keeps the functioning of our heart at a stable rate, but as it increases, it turns into bad cholesterol which at times shows no symptoms and causes only unanticipated heart stroke.
Causes of High Cholesterol:
- Diabetes
- Kidney or Liver disease
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- Hormone changes, mostly during pregnancy
- Underactive Thyroid Gland
- Steroids
Cholesterol-rich foods: It is important to keep the cholesterol balance in check. Make sure you have a diet that supports the natural balance. You can incorporate:
- Oats and beans
- Whole grains
- Okra and Eggplant
- Nutts
- Supplements for high cholesterol (prescribed for lowering the bad cholesterol)
- Canola and sunflower vegetable oil
- Fruits like apples, strawberries, grapes, and other citrus fruits
- Soy-based foods
- Salmon, Sardines and Tuna
- Fibre-rich foods in your diet plan.
Foods that promote bad cholesterol in our body:
- Red meat
- Margarine
- Full-fat dairy
- Baked goods
- Hydrogenated oils
How to prevent high cholesterol? In order to maintain the balance of good cholesterol in the body, 4 major lifestyle decisions have to be made which includes:
- Eating a healthy diet that has a balance of salt and sugar.
- Exercise for at least 5 days a week. People who cannot gym can do Yoga and other meditative exercises so as there is an internal balance maintained.
- Quit smoking and alcohol. However, due to societal pressure under unavoidable circumstantial situations like social gatherings, alcohol intake becomes obligatory which is understandable. But regular intake of alcohol will provoke the liver to act irregularly further creating heart complications.
- Avoid weight gain under all circumstances. The world at present may be a witness to weight debates, but there is no medical evidence that says weight is good. Obesity and weight above the required level are harmful to the heart. Exercise and maintain a good weight that does not hamper your daily lifestyle.
In case a cholesterol level is not maintained, there comes a time when diseases like Peripheral Vascular Disease, episodes of Stroke, high blood pressure, and Diabetes, become permanent problems. Each of the above mentioned has its own additional complications which can diffuse the immunity system and cause internal damage.
Final Words: In this fast-paced world, it is difficult to maintain a good balance between work and health, but a minor ignorance can always lead to complications that can threaten our normal lifestyle. Small changes in our lifestyle and a little more attention to our health can save us from more severe damages of the future. Eat healthy and wisely.