Idli also called rice cake, is arguably one of the…
Vegetable Idli: Easy Breakfast Recipe For Weight Loss At Home
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According to you, what should be your first priority in life? Well, this answer should be health. Yes, if you are healthy only then you will be able to make other things your priority and take care of them. However, for this you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which means, having knowledge of what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat.
One should know about his/her body type and if one notices any kind of change shouldn’t ignore it but directly go see a doctor so that the situation does not get worse.
Now, surely there would be live examples of most people, who at first don’t take care of themselves and then run to the hospitals asking for treatment. Similarly in the case of cholesterol, when the level of bad cholesterol gets higher than good cholesterol, then the question comes up “How to reduce cholesterol?”
But now, even for this, you don’t have to go see a doctor because we tell you the natural ways to maintain a healthy level of cholesterol that too with a diet plan.
So, take a trip to this blog instead of a hospital, as it is surely going to save you money as well.
What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is made in the liver, and found in the blood and in all cells of the body. It is, however, important for good health and for making cell walls, tissues, hormones, vitamin D, and bile acid. Also, to note, too much cholesterol is not good for the body.
Types Of Cholesterol
Talking about the types of cholesterol, then they are of 3 types as mentioned below,
- LDL (bad) cholesterol: It is the “bad” cholesterol, as it contributes to fatty buildups in arteries and narrows them, further increasing the risk for heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease.
- HDL (good) cholesterol: It is the “good” cholesterol and absorbs cholesterol in the blood, carrying it back to the liver, and further, flushes it from the body. High levels of HDL cholesterol, however, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Triglycerides: This is a type of fat in the body that stores excess energy from your diet. Therefore, a high level of triglyceride combined with high LDL or low HDL cholesterol is linked with fatty buildups within the artery walls, which further, can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
How To Reduce Cholesterol – Home Remedies
So, here are the simple tips that you can follow to reduce your cholesterol without any medications. Follow these to live a healthy lifestyle.
1. Put A Ban On Trans Fat
Consuming trans fat raises your LDL, lowers your HDL, and increases the risk of developing heart disease and stroke. However, as a fact, the more trans fats you eat, the greater the risk of heart and blood vessel disease increases.
Therefore, trans-fat foods are unhealthy and bad for cholesterol and these include, microwave popcorn, frozen pizzas, fried foods, nondairy coffee creamer, etc. Also, make sure you check the nutritional labels while buying foods from the market.
2. Maintain A Healthy Weight
To maintain cholesterol levels, you don’t have to lose weight, but yes, maintain a healthy weight according to your age. However, being overweight can contribute to a high level of cholesterol, so make sure you shed just the extra weight or pounds as required. So, a healthy weight requires you to take a proper healthy diet that also, provides your body with efficient calories, protein, and nutrients.
3. Check The Nutrition Facts
If you want a healthy level of cholesterol, then try to limit saturated fats in your diet. This fat is usually found in cheese, fatty meats, whole milk, dairy-based products, egg yolk, etc. So, even if you are buying this readymade from the market make sure to check the nutritional facts of them.
4. Eat Fiber Rich Foods
A high fiber diet is a great way to maintain cholesterol levels. Add oatmeal, apples, prunes, and beans as they contain soluble fiber, which further, keeps your body from absorbing cholesterol. Moreover, consuming fiber-rich foods also keeps you full for a longer time and prevents you from unhealthy snacking, further, aiding in weight loss.
5. Use Olive Oil
This is another best way to reduce cholesterol. What you can do is, substitute butter with olive oil while cooking as it is healthier. You can also, use peanut, avocado, and canola oil. However, according to the American Heart Association Trusted Source, you should limit your consumption of saturated fats to less than 5–6 percent of your daily calorie intake.
6. Eat Fruits And Vegetables
Adding fruits and vegetables to the diet, is also, a safe way to maintain cholesterol levels. You can add lentils, kidney beans, dark leafy greens, pears apples, etc., to the diet. Also, adding soybeans to your diet will be helpful as they contain isoflavones which may lower cholesterol levels. Another nutrient is lycopene, which is found in tomatoes so you can also, consume these in your meal.
7. Quit Smoking
So, smoking is one of the major risk factors for high cholesterol and heart disease. However, it causes the arteries to harden and leads to atherosclerosis further, roughening the walls of the arteries, and allowing cholesterol to stick more easily and begin to form plaques.
8. Workout
Working out helps reduce high cholesterol and raise levels of HDL cholesterol. However, it is important to exercise or do any kind of physical activity like walking, running, cycling, and gyming. yoga, etc., for at least 30 to 45 minutes five days a week. This is because even a small amount of physical activity can help you maintain a healthy level of cholesterol.
9. Learn Family History
It might be possible that there is a family history, of low or bad cholesterol levels. So, it is important that you keep a track of them and get your cholesterol also, and timely follow a good healthy diet. However, taking care of yourself should be the first priority, and often there are cases in that one suffers from a disease or any health issue due to the genes passed on.
10. Don’t Stress And Be Happy
If you want to increase your good cholesterol, then the easiest and most natural way to do so is to stop stressing yourself out and just laugh. Yes, laughing is one of the best ways to increase good cholesterol and relieve stress by preventing low cholesterol.
Diet Plan To Reduce Cholesterol
What could be better to follow a proper diet plan for removing LDL from the body? Here is a one-day diet for you that is quite simple to follow to lower your cholesterol. This plan is recommended by the best dietitians of Fitelo, and is also, good to lose weight.
The meals mentioned in this diet plan are all available on Fitelo recipes page.
| Meal 1: Ghiya cucumber juice mixed with ginger, lemon, and 150ml mint with 2 soaked almonds |
| Meal 2: 1 carrot beetroot paratha with curd |
| Meal 3: 50-200g Orange/mausami |
| Meal 4: Ghiya or pumpkin veg with wheat + bran roti |
| Meal 5: Hibiscus tea with a handful of roasted makhanas |
| Meal 6: carrot lemon salad and sprinkle chia and flax seeds |
| Meal 7: Tomato spinach soup |
| Meal 8: Chamomile tea with 1 tsp of virgin coconut oil |
To continue maintaining the right levels of cholesterol, you can contact Fitelo and get a customized diet plan too.
Foods To Add To Diet To Reduce Cholesterol
Apart from this 1 day’s diet, it is important to know the foods that you can add to your diet. You can, however, add these below-mentioned foods to any of your recipes or, try out the ones given along with them.
1. Oats: Adding oats to your meal is the first step to lowering your cholesterol. It, however, gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber, and along with this, you can add fruits to it like bananas, strawberries, fruits rich in fiber, or even a seeds mixture.
2. Whole Grains: You can add whole grains like oats or barley to the diet as it delivers soluble fiber to your body further, lowering the risk of heart disease.
3. Beans: These are rich in soluble fiber which is again good for HDL and also, takes a while for the body to digest.
4. Vegetable Oils: Using liquid vegetable oils like canola, sunflower, safflower, and others instead of butter or lard, helps lower LDL.
5. Egg Plant Or Okra: These vegetables are low in calories, versatile, and contain soluble fiber. You can consume them in your lunch and also, try the below recipe.
6. Fatty Fish: Consuming fish two or three times a week lower LDL in two ways. One is by replacing meat, which has LDL-boosting saturated fats, and the other by delivering LDL-lowering omega-3 fats. These also, protect the heart by helping prevent the onset of abnormal heart rhythms.
7. Fortified Foods With Sterols and Stanols: Sterols and stanols gum up the body’s ability to absorb cholesterol from food. However, getting 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols in a day can help lower 10% LDL cholesterol.
Putting Altogether – How To Reduce Cholesterol
So, now we know what is cholesterol and how important it is for our health. However, if you do not want to go see a doctor and avoid medications, then you should take care of your health on your own. We have mentioned for you the important tips that you can follow and also, some foods along with the recipes that you can try at home and add to your diet. Moreover, a 1-day diet plan has also, been mentioned for you to bring your cholesterol level to a balance to continue with the diet plan you can contact us today.
Which Utensils Are Harmful To Health?
To stay healthy, not just what you eat matters, but how you are cooking and which utensil you are cooking also does. Shocked? Don’t be, and watch this video to know more about this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How To Reduce Cholesterol During The Diet For Weight Loss?
Ans: If you are on a diet to lose weight, then it is easier as you can ask your dietitian to plan a diet according to the cholesterol concern. Further, your dietitian will make sure to add meals or foods that are good to lower your cholesterol and good for weight loss.
Q. How To Reduce Cholesterol Naturally?
Ans: How o reduce cholesterol naturally at home is a common question often asked by people. So, for this, you can add foods rich in soluble fiber, follow the tips mentioned above or take a proper diet plan.
Q. Which Are The 5 Best Foods To Help Lower Cholesterol?
Ans: The best foods could be fatty fish, oats, beans, nuts, and fortified foods.
Q. How to Reduce Cholesterol In 7 Days?
Ans: If you want to reduce cholesterol in a week, then it is better to take a diet plan for 7 days and follow the tips along with it.
Fitness Story
Here is a surprising fitness story of Puneet, which will surely, inspire you to start working towards your fitness goals as well.
Fun Fact
Are you a foodie and can’t just stop craving street food? Well, then even we won’t stop you from eating it until and unless you are eating it once a month and knowing which is beneficial for you. So, here is telling you the street food nutrition that you can opt for next time to have in your fun food journey.
Contact Us Today
If you’re searching for the right guidance as well as better assistance, then your search to find the right guidance to be a part of all those fat-to-fit stories ends here. So, contact us today if you are looking for a diet plan with cheat meals. Also, we will discuss how we can help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Disclaimer
This blog post was written to help you to make healthy and better food choices altogether. So, be aware and take care. In addition, it is important thing to consider your health before starting a restrictive diet. However, always seek advice from a doctor/dietitian before starting if you have any concerns.
Eat Healthy, Live Healthy, and also Enjoy a long happy life.
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