CHOLESTEROL:

Cholesterol is a type of fat found in the body and is needed for vital body functions such as building new cells, producing hormones & insulation. The liver makes all the cholesterol which is required by the body.
Cholesterol is of two types:

LDL (bad) & HDL (good)
LDL means a high chance of cardiac disease, while HDL means less or decreased risk. Normal levels: 200 mg/dl.
Cholesterol increases the inflammatory disease of the arterial walls called as artherosclerosis in which there is blocking of artery due to fat deposition, which ultimately leads to heart attack.

CAUSES

·           Hereditary i.e. it runs in the families

·           Obesity, Diabetes, Steroids abuse

·           Sedentary life style (no walk no exercise)

·           Mental stress.

·           Other diseases of the thyroid (Hypothyroidism), kidney & liver.

 

SIGN & SYMPTOMS

They are hard to find and high cholesterol is quite often detected in routine tests only.

·           Pain in chest, Muscle pains, Pain in legs, Dizziness, Unsteady gait, A thick speech. Obesity, Diabetes,

·           Impotency may be due to arteries affected by excessive blood cholesterol.

·           An increase in the blood level of cholesterol does not have any obvious symptoms. But is a risk factor for other conditions such as angina (pain in chest), Atherosclerosis, Heart disease, High blood pressure & Stroke

 

Do & Dont's

Check your diet. Not more than 30% of total calories should be from fat. INSTRUCTIONS FOR LOW CHOLESTEROL DIETS.

·           Do not use any hydrogenated fats e.g. ghee, butter, margarine (unless specified), vanaspati, coconut il, and palm oil. Use instead safflower (karadi) oil, soya bean oil, sunflower oil, dietary, saffola, mazola or corn oil.

·           Avoid egg yolks and foods containing egg yolks e.g. mayonnaise, cakes, sauces, although egg white only is permitted.

·           Avoid all foods baked with fat (shortening lard etc.)e.g. cakes, pies, doughnuts etc.

·           Avoid whole milk, cream, cheese, whole milk curds and sweets made with concentrated milk e.g. gulab jamun, shrikhand, Mawa, chocolates etc. Use only skimmed milk and its preparations, paneer made from skimmed milk can be used.

·           All organ meats are to be avoided e.g. kidney, liver, brain,
sweetbreads etc. Fat should be trimmed of all meat before use. Deskin chicken before cooking. Avoid pork, ham and bacon. Avoid shellfish, clams, prawns, lobsters, fish roe, and fish liver oil. Use, fish and deskinned chicken. Meat used should be lean and its use judicious. Stews and meat stock if made earlier, can be chilled and the congealed fat should be scraped off and discarded.

·           All nuts are permitted except groundnut, cashewnuts which must be avoided. Decrease the use of refined foods in your diet, e.g. maida, cornflour, spaghetti, macaroni etc. Increase and include instead, high fibre foods e.g salads, greens, chapattis (made with atta), leafy vegetables etc. Finger millet (ragi), poha, popcorn or puffed rice (kurmura) are useful food items which gives a feeling of fullness with necessary vitamins & minerals.

·           Take 1-2 ripe tomatoes every morning for breakfast. It contains the necessary vitamins and minerals.

·           Cabbage (gobi) is a useful home remedy for obesity since it contains tartaric acid, which inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat.

·           Have more of celery (ajwain-ka-patta) soup, especially your cholesterol and triglyceride levels are high.

·           Roast and boil foods on a rack so fat can drain off. Make use of non-stick vessels/pan and decrease consumption of fats and oils whilst cooking.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Follow maintenance Diet-Controlled carbohydrate, controlled and
modified fat, low cholesterol.

·           Control the carbohydrate foods that you eat. Carbohydrate (sugar and starch) foods are limited. This means that sugar is not allowed, jaggery, honey and refined foods e.g. macaroni, spaghetti, bread, biscuits should be limited.

·           Free Foods i.e. Foods Allowed- Clear Soup Soda, Coffee Flavoring Essence, Herbs Vinegar, Mustard Spices.

·           Suggestions for Meals away from Home. When you eat out daily, it is wise to select one particular restaurant some of your food requires special preparation. A regular customer is more like to receive special attention.

MEAT:
Trim off all fat. The sagest choice is a chop, steak, chicken (deskinned) or fish. Request that the meat be made without fat. e.g. Tandoori Chicken, grilled kababs, tikkas.
VEGETABLES /SALAD:
Most Vegetables are not limited. However, avoid those that are made in cream (malai) e.g. Vegetable Makhanwalla; cheese or whole milk. Ask that your serving of vegetables be made without fat. Avoid salads with cream dressings, mayonnaise, and cheese. Instead, take Cucumbers or mixed salads etc.

FAT:
Limit the amount according to your diet plan.
BREAD:
Limit according to your diet plan. Avoid, rolls, biscuits, muffins, take instead phulka, chapattis, bhakri etc. BEVERAGE:
Skim Milk, Thin lassi (non sweet) lie juice (non sweet), fresh lime and soda, coconut water, tomato juice (not tinned, non sweet) tea/coffee (non sweet) these are allowed.
DESSERT:
For dessert- choose a fresh fruit (not tinned) e.g fresh papaya slice, water melon slice, plums cherries, fresh orange etc.

 

MEDITATION & YOGA:

Pranayama Kapalabhati- Ustrasana Tuladandasana

Vajrasana